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Independence, MO —
Independence City Council members say they would like to see redevelopment take place at the sites of one former school and a former hospital – both dilapidated for some time now – sooner rather than later.
A brief discussion on the two structures took place at the conclusion of Monday night’s meeting. District 4 Council Member Eileen Weir, whose represented area includes the former Pitcher Elementary School/Anderson Alternative School on East 35th Street, said she was recently contacted by the developer to send a letter of support requesting Missouri tax credits for redeveloping the property as affordable senior housing.
“I denied his request to support that,” Weir said. “The site, at this time, what we have heard from people in that area is that there was a lot of concern developing that particular site for senior housing because of the various issues.”
In April, a fire significantly damaged the old school. Kansas City-based Garrison Companies announced its plans to redevelop the property in late 2009, and despite opposition from several neighbors, the project moved forward with City Council approval in August 2010. The Independence School District sold the building in June 2011 to Anderson Development, an affiliate of Garrison Companies.
Following April’s fire, developer Gary Hassenflu said he still planned to convert the property into 84 independent living units for senior citizens, but the project was dependent upon financing and tax credits.
Weir said city staff have designated the site as “a dangerous building” and that Community Development Department staff are working with the developer to remedy the current condition.
Similarly, District 3 Council Member Myron Paris and District 2 Council Member Curt Dougherty say they are concerned about the condition of the former Medical Center of Independence just east of the 23rd Street and Missouri 291 intersection. The facility has remained vacant for more than five years, following its closure when Centerpoint Medical Center opened along 39th Street.
Plans surfaced in 2008 to convert MCI into affordable senior housing, but the developer abandoned them after being unable to secure at least half ($6 million) of the tax increment financing funds available to redevelop the two closed hospitals. (The former Independence Regional Health Center received $10 million of the available $12 million in the TIF.)
“It’s a very hot item. I get a lot of emails and phone calls, and I’m sure that Curt does, also, in response to the conditions of MCI,” Paris said. “We need to do something out there, and we need to do it quickly. I want the people to know that we are working on it. It is something that’s taking a little bit of time. Things didn’t progress the way we hoped to recently, and we’re going to look into it and see what can be done to MCI.”
Independence City Council members say they would like to see redevelopment take place at the sites of one former school and a former hospital – both dilapidated for some time now – sooner rather than later.
A brief discussion on the two structures took place at the conclusion of Monday night’s meeting. District 4 Council Member Eileen Weir, whose represented area includes the former Pitcher Elementary School/Anderson Alternative School on East 35th Street, said she was recently contacted by the developer to send a letter of support requesting Missouri tax credits for redeveloping the property as affordable senior housing.
“I denied his request to support that,” Weir said. “The site, at this time, what we have heard from people in that area is that there was a lot of concern developing that particular site for senior housing because of the various issues.”
In April, a fire significantly damaged the old school. Kansas City-based Garrison Companies announced its plans to redevelop the property in late 2009, and despite opposition from several neighbors, the project moved forward with City Council approval in August 2010. The Independence School District sold the building in June 2011 to Anderson Development, an affiliate of Garrison Companies.
Following April’s fire, developer Gary Hassenflu said he still planned to convert the property into 84 independent living units for senior citizens, but the project was dependent upon financing and tax credits.
Weir said city staff have designated the site as “a dangerous building” and that Community Development Department staff are working with the developer to remedy the current condition.
Similarly, District 3 Council Member Myron Paris and District 2 Council Member Curt Dougherty say they are concerned about the condition of the former Medical Center of Independence just east of the 23rd Street and Missouri 291 intersection. The facility has remained vacant for more than five years, following its closure when Centerpoint Medical Center opened along 39th Street.
Plans surfaced in 2008 to convert MCI into affordable senior housing, but the developer abandoned them after being unable to secure at least half ($6 million) of the tax increment financing funds available to redevelop the two closed hospitals. (The former Independence Regional Health Center received $10 million of the available $12 million in the TIF.)
“It’s a very hot item. I get a lot of emails and phone calls, and I’m sure that Curt does, also, in response to the conditions of MCI,” Paris said. “We need to do something out there, and we need to do it quickly. I want the people to know that we are working on it. It is something that’s taking a little bit of time. Things didn’t progress the way we hoped to recently, and we’re going to look into it and see what can be done to MCI.”
