Lenexa recommends denying a crucial permit to operate Johnson County homeless shelter
The city of Lenexa is recommending that officials deny the request for a special use permit to operate a homeless shelter, potentially throwing a wrench in Johnson County’s ability to close on the sale of the hotel it wants to convert in a tight timeline.
Last month, reStart, Inc., the Kansas City-based homeless services organization selected to own the site, submitted to the city of Lenexa an application for a permit to operate the hotel building as a shelter. Johnson County has committed roughly $10.5 million in federal funds toward purchasing and renovating the La Quinta Inn and Suites off of Interstate 35 and 95th Street.
The permit is required to both close on the real estate purchase and to run the shelter. But the county and reStart are now facing a major roadblock as city staff has informed officials of the intention to recommend the application be rejected.
Denise Rendina, city spokeswoman, declined to provide details explaining why the city is recommending the permit be denied. She said more information will be released next week, ahead of the planning commission considering the application at its Aug. 26 meeting. The council would vote on the request next, at its Sept. 17 meeting.
It’s unclear what criteria reStart’s application fails to meet, or how easily the organization could address the city’s concerns. Denial of the application could at least send officials back to the drawing board, pushing back the county’s ambitious timeline for closing on the sale and opening the shelter as early as next year.
Part of the timeline hinges on the county’s deadline to spend federal COVID-19 relief funds, the money officials have dedicated to getting the project done.
“The county believes that the proposed Homeless Services Center will meet a known community need and will benefit vulnerable populations throughout Johnson County. We also recognize this is a bold new approach, and therefore reStart and the county have worked diligently to address all questions and concerns raised by the city so far and will continue to do so,” Johnson County spokeswoman Anne Christiansen-Bullers told The Star in an email.
“We appreciate the ongoing collaboration with City of Lenexa staff throughout this process, and we respect the work they do on behalf of residents. The City of Lenexa is on the front line of meeting this community need.”
Lenexa officials consider special use permits using specific criteria, including the character of the neighborhood and how the project will affect nearby properties, the suitability of the property for the type of development, and gain to public health and safety.
Lenexa added homeless shelters as an allowable use in its city code a few years ago, which made it possible for the nonprofit Project 1020 to operate its temporary winter shelter out of a church, plus laid out regulations for a potential permanent shelter. City officials made the move after Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church sued the city and won for its right to house the winter shelter.
Under city code, applicants seeking special use permits for homeless shelters must provide the city with plans for the building’s layout, security, staffing, transportation, rules of conduct for guests and services provided. The applicant must also verify that it complies with all building and fire codes.
Typically, city staff review such requests and work on revising it with the applicant until the project is considered ready to be reviewed by the planning commission. The commission will take the city staff recommendation and either approve the permit, approve it with conditions, or deny it.
The request then goes to the city council, which can either approve the permit, with or without conditions, remand it back to the planning commission with directions on what should be reconsidered, or deny it. If the special use permit is denied, the same application cannot be resubmitted for one year, unless that rule is waived, according to the city.
Plans include turning the hotel into a 50-bed shelter, with private rooms and bathrooms. Another part of the project would include 25 transitional housing units, to help residents move into permanent homes. The organization intends to provide residents with several resources, including access to health care, job opportunities and more.
The beds would be for adults, as Johnson County lacks such a permanent shelter, while it does have some beds for families and women.
Johnson County’s Point in Time Count this year — a count of all people experiencing homelessness on one night in January — showed there were 250 homeless people in the county, up from 180 in 2020. The majority, 85% were single adults, meaning they did not have children with them.
The application also details that residents would only be allowed to stay at the shelter after being referred through the county system, which includes Johnson County Mental Health and other agencies. It includes details on parking, as well as security, such as a curfew for guests, full-time staffing, security cameras and bag searches.
Meanwhile, Johnson County and reStart also are asking each city to contribute annual funding to help run the shelter in its first five years.
Stephanie Boyer, CEO of reStart, said the $1.7 million needed annually to run the shelter would be funded mostly by grants and private donations, as well as revenue generated from services.
But leaders are asking the county and its cities to help fund $500,000 of the annual operating cost. Johnson County has already committed $62,000 each year. A handful of cities — including Leawood, Merriam, Fairway, Mission Hills, Mission Woods and Westwood Hills — have agreed to pitch in. The Spring Hill City Council committed its share, but only for the first year, rather than the full five.
The Edgerton City Council rejected the funding request, which would have had the city contributing $1,310 each year.
The proposal seeks different amounts from each city, based on population. The county’s most populous city, Overland Park, could provide $150,000 the first year. Olathe would be asked for $112,000, Shawnee for nearly $53,000, down to Mission Woods for $150.
