Kansas City neighborhood hits roadblock in plan to ward off home demolitions

The Valentine neighborhood’s attempt to gain historic status for dozens of homes faced a setback this week, leaving the proposal’s future unclear.

The Valentine Neighborhood Association has applied to turn a portion of the neighborhood — an area between 35th Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, Valentine Road and Southwest Trafficway — into a local historic district. That would, at the city level, add stronger protections against demolitions while establishing new regulations on exterior renovations and additions.

Hanging over the proposal are the nearly two dozen demolitions last fall of homes, north of 35th Street and outside the proposed historic district, on lots owned by Kansas City Life Insurance. That left blocks of Valentine almost entirely empty. The struggle against vacancies and demolitions in Valentine stretches back decades.

KC Life has since filed to demolish four structures that are in the proposed Norman School Historic District, named after the century old building that has been converted into apartments. Those four demolitions have been on pause while the neighborhood association seeks historic status. The company says the four buildings are unsafe.

The company, which is headquartered in Valentine off Broadway Boulevard, has presented an early redevelopment concept that would include new colonnade apartments.

No matter how the numbers are broken down, Valentine property owners in the proposed district appear to be split.

According to neighborhood association data, 23 owners support historic status, or about 49%, while 17 owners oppose it. Seven owners appear to be neutral.

KC Life filings show that about half of parcels in the area have owners who are opposed, which includes multiple parcels with a single owner. The company owns 18 parcels in the proposed district.

In light of that divide, the city’s planning commission narrowly voted on Wednesday against recommending that the City Council approve creating a local historic district in the Norman School area.

The City Council could decide to have a hearing and make a final decision at a later date.

City staff support creating the historic district, owing to the unique architecture of homes that sprouted up in Valentine as the one-time streetcar suburb developed, including “Kansas City shirtwaist” homes, Prairie-style homes and colonnade apartments.

The proposed district would be named after the Norman School, 3514 Jefferson St., which was built over a century ago and has since been converted into apartments. City planning documents call for using tools that would preserve the area’s historic fabric.

Valentine neighbors divided on creating Normal School historic district

Anna Seydel of the Valentine Neighborhood Association, who lives in the proposed district, said at the board’s hearing that the neighborhood doesn’t always have the necessary tools for protection, while historic status could encourage revitalization while ensuring future growth respects the neighborhood’s history.

“We can organize cleanups, support our neighbors, and build community spirit, but when it comes to larger forces, like demolition and insensitive development, we need help,” Seydel said. “We want to be very clear: we are not anti-development, and we recognize the importance of growth and housing, but we are against the ongoing loss of historic homes that shape our neighborhood’s identity.”

The plan for local historic status joins parallel work in Valentine to gain federal recognition for the neighborhood on the National Register of Historic Places, which would unlock tax credits for redevelopment and ensure documentation of Valentine history.

Nearby neighborhood groups that are in historic districts also support the Norman School plan, saying it’s been a smooth change and beneficial for their neighborhoods, but several owners in the Norman School section of Valentine oppose it.

They believe that historic status is unnecessary and emphasize that there are existing protections, according to testimony. They are wary of burdensome new regulations on their properties and worry about the impact historic designation could have on their property taxes and the prospect of future development in the neighborhood.

Taylor Harrington, an attorney representing KC Life, said that the proposal doesn’t meet city standards, as properties have lost historic integrity following structural alterations, and landscapes have been lost to the conversion of the Summit Street streetcar line into the six-lane Southwest Trafficway.

She said historic status would impede development of the neighborhood called for in city planning documents — while bringing KC Life’s plans to a standstill.

The company has presented a vision to redevelop its properties in the area that would include new colonnade apartments, adding up to 42 new units and 84 new residents to the neighborhood. Formal plans have yet to be filed.

“Historic designation would immediately halt this project for a minimum of three years, and it would result in significant lost revenue for both local businesses and the city at large,” Harrington said.

She called the proposal a retaliation against KC Life’s plans and a misuse of the process as a weapon against the company.

Supporters deny that the move is a retaliation against KC Life, and say their goal is to protect the neighborhood’s historic fabric while supporting thoughtful development like the Norman School conversion.

This story was originally published August 22, 2025 at 5:50 AM.