Neighbors appeal judge’s ruling over Graham Zusi’s proposed Westside apartments

Neighbors opposed to a soccer star’s plans for a six-plex in the Westside are appealing after a judge denied their request for a review.

Graham Zusi, a former player for Sporting KC, is tied to plans filed for a “multi-unit house,” or a multi-family building with 3 to 8 units that looks more like a house from the outside, on vacant land off Summit Street.

Under city zoning rules, the Board of Zoning Adjustment needed to approve a special use permit for the project. The zoning board granted the permit in 2025 after a public hearing alongside an exception to the rules that would allow six units on the site, instead of the less-dense two units that would normally be allowed on the property’s square footage.

With powers lined out in state law, the zoning board can make exceptions, known as variances, if more strictly applying the rules could cause “practical difficulty” or hardship for an owner seeking to build.

In this case, according to court documents, a multi-unit house with three to eight units is allowed on the property with a special use permit, but the lots’ size only allows for two units under the typical density rules — meaning the otherwise-allowed project could not be built at all without a variance.

Resident testimony at the time was split: Some said they’re not opposed to building housing but questioned whether offering an exception for higher density was warranted and worried the proposed project would be a poor fit for the area and out of scale while straining the neighborhood’s infrastructure.

Supporters said it would complement the growing neighborhood and bring needed housing options for prospective residents, while city staff said mixed housing types benefit centralized neighborhoods as planning documents call for filling vacant lots and dense, walkable development in the city core.

Two families who own, or previously owned, property on either side of the project filed a petition in Jackson County Circuit Court last March, alleging the board’s decision to grant a special use was illegal and that the proposal did not meet the standards for an exception to the rules.

The zoning board said in court documents that the decision was legal and based on substantial evidence while being in the public interest and in line with city code.

In February, a judge determined that the zoning board’s decision to grant the exceptions was legal and supported by the evidence, denying the neighbor’s petition for review.

Neighbors appeal

The nearby current or former owners involved in the case told The Star that they were disappointed by the judge’s decision, which they say sets a negative precedent for how zoning rules are applied to future development.

They have suggested that they would want to see development at a density that wouldn’t need the exception they have objected to: perhaps two houses or a duplex.

“The Board of Zoning Adjustment used the variance process to authorize a level of density the zoning code expressly prohibits — not because of any unique condition of the land, but to accommodate Zusi’s preferred development,” Virginia Salazar Bellis said. “That exceeds the Board’s authority under Missouri law.”

Her husband Steve Bellis said the decision is a “recipe for chaos” and ensures residents cannot count on existing codes when they choose to buy or invest in Kansas City.

“People will vote with their feet,” Bellis said.

Two of the owners have since filed a notice to appeal the case in the state court of appeals. They will need to file documents showing why the appeal should not be dismissed by April 17, court records show.

Grace Broeder, architect on the project, said the project has been permitted, but a construction date hasn’t been set.

The legal case is against the city’s zoning board, not Zusi. Zusi could not be reached for comment and did not respond to a message sent to email addresses listed on public records websites.

A city spokesperson declined to comment on the ongoing litigation.

This story was originally published April 7, 2026 at 2:31 PM.