Density or disruption? Neighbors split on apartments proposed for KC vacant lot

A proposed new apartment building facing West 39th Street, blocks away from the state line in Kansas City, could soon move closer to construction years after the idea was first floated.

Hickok Homes, a KC area-based developer, has filed plans to build a four-story, 73-unit apartment building on a grassy, vacant lot with a small parking area at 39th Street and Roanoke Road, across the street from The Loretto. There would be mostly studio and one-bedroom apartments, with a handful of two-bedrooms, a small space on the ground floor for commercial use and garage parking with 73 stalls.

The proposal has been whittled down from an earlier concept for a five-story building with more than 90 units following neighborhood concerns. The building’s aesthetic has been changed and plans for balconies on the north side of the building, which would have overlooked other nearby houses in Roanoke, were removed. Hickok has proposed new apartments on the site since 2022.

Dozens of neighborhood residents remain staunchly opposed to the project, including those whose properties would face the proposed apartments, and they have appeared at public meetings about the project to register their disapproval. On the contrary, another group of area residents circulated a letter in support.

The City Plan Commission voted 4-1 on Wednesday to recommend approving the changes to move to project forward. The City Council’s neighborhood committee is expected to consider the proposal at a later date, and the full council would need to give final approval.

City staff are recommending approval.

A real estate attorney for the developers suggested at a community meeting that the development team may seek financial incentives if the city approves the plans, as projects with parking structures typically do.

Hickok’s proposal would be the next big apartment project in the Volker and Roanoke areas after The Citizen apartments off Stateline Road.

Many neighbors oppose apartments

In public meetings since Hickok Homes first released a concept three years ago, many neighborhood residents have opposed the project, saying it’s not the right fit for the unique corridor’s character and would see it as out of scale, towering over nearby homes, while diminishing the area’s charm.

That includes Hadley Arnett and Michael Dickert, whose backyard would face Hickok’s proposed apartments.

Arnett and Dickert told The Star that they’re not opposed to development in their neighborhood — they expected it, given the lot was vacant — but they’d prefer something less dense and less tall that would offer more privacy and meet the status quo of what the city currently allows on the property.

They could support building townhouses, small businesses or a smaller apartment building like the existing historic walkups near their home.

“Density is incredibly important for a city, but so is preserving the character of the neighborhood,” Dickert said.

City planning documents for the property call for development on the site that would be less dense than Hickok’s proposal. Officials have said the proposal still meets the spirit of the vision in planning documents for mixed-used development in the corridor.

Other concerns raised by residents who have organized against the project include the impact on property values, traffic safety and street parking, whether the building will cast a shadow on nearby houses or burden infrastructure, and whether it could include shorter-term leases for tenants.

They also wonder what the project could mean for the future of development in the neighborhood. Public testimony about the project has been overwhelmingly opposed.

Both the Roanoke and Volker neighborhood associations oppose the plan, similarly saying in a letter that the support greater density and residential development on the site, but that the specific proposal is out of scale and character for the area. Historic KC and the Roanoke Park Conservacy have also filed letters expressing concerns.

Other neighbors are supportive: A letter that circulated in the spring argues the proposal would be a fit for the walkable neighborhood.

“Mass demolition of structures in the core of Kansas City, disinvestment, and de-densification since the middle of the last century have left the city starved of tax revenue and unable to support our aging infrastructure liabilities, schools, and other public services,” the letter says. “In the new century we have seen significant revitalization of urban Kansas City and the renewed demand for housing in the core has resulted in rent increases far in excess of the rate of inflation.”

Allowing the construction of new housing near businesses and services is “one of the most important steps we can take to address the crisis of affordability,” the letter says.

“Not only will a large building pay more in property taxes than a vacant lot, but the future residents will pay city earning tax,” the letter says. “Likewise, those future residents will support the local business environment whose vibrancy and diversity are key to the 39th Street corridor’s charm. For these reasons, it would be poor stewardship of our community to oppose this project.”

This story was originally published June 2, 2025 at 1:00 AM.