Family Dollar in midtown KC to be demolished nearly a year after deadly collapse
The Family Dollar building that collapsed last summer, killing one person and sending another to the hospital, is slated to be demolished soon, according to city permit records.
The Kansas City Fire Department responded to a call for service in the 3700 block of Broadway Boulevard on a Sunday afternoon last July. When crews arrived, they discovered part of the front facade of the Family Dollar building had collapsed, killing resident Larry Banks.
Since then, the property’s owners have taken steps to get the building knocked down, city records show.
As of Thursday afternoon, Kansas City is waiting on a permit fee of $131 from either the building owner or a contractor so it can issue a demolition permit, according to Lanè Johnson, spokesperson for Kansas City’s neighborhood services division.
“The permit will be automatically issued once payment is received. The owner has already obtained the prerequisite permits from the Public Works and Water Services Departments,” Johnson said in an email.
Residents filed complaints before collapse
City records show that just days before the collapse, Kansas City’s neighborhoods department received multiple complaints about the Family Dollar — including that the structure was “tilting.”
City records show that inspectors were sent to the property dozens of times in recent years for issues involving littering, weeds, graffiti and excess trash around the building at 3736 Broadway Blvd. The property racked up 22 citations in the last four years, three of which escalated to charges against the key officers of the company that owns it.
And a photo attached to a city inspection conducted just days before the collapse for a pending litter case showed the exterior of the building apparently in poor condition with the roof visibly sagging.
A car crash nearly nine years ago before may have caused damage that compromised the structure.
The crash occurred when a driver heading south on Broadway Boulevard lost control near 37th Street and hit a pillar in front of the store,, according to a 2016 story posted on KMBC, Channel 9’s website. The driver was taken to a hospital with serious injuries, it said.
A photo of the scene showed the vehicle up against the store’s entrance. A pillar that previous photos showed was supporting the front corner of the building was missing, apparently knocked down in the crash. Subsequent photos of the building over the years indicate that the pillar was not replaced.
K&S Associates Inc., is leading the demolition. The Star reached out Thursday about a date for the demolition, but did not immediately hear back.
Owner of the building, Arthur Fels Co., did not respond to The Star’s request for comment.
The Star’s Judy Thomas and Chris Higgins contributed reporting.
