Changes in the landscape at I-470 and Raytown Road

The scenery has been changing on a plot of Kansas City-owned land near Interstate 470 and Raytown Road, and it has folks wondering what’s going on.

Part of the property has been used for people to drop off brush and lawn waste, but Chris Hope of Kansas City said it now looks as if the drop-off spot is being “repurposed” into a huge cleared space, maybe one designed for the Dog to explore.

“Whatever the use of this space, will Kansas City abandon the leaf and mulch drop-off site currently on the north side?”

Nothing sinister seems to be a-paw — er, afoot — here. The drop-off site will remain.

However, the Little Blue Valley Sewer District signed a 30-year lease with Kansas City for the property, which will hold excess water during times of high precipitation, said Greg Boettcher, the district’s executive director. Water will be stored there for a short time before being directed to a treatment plant.

Construction started in August 2013 and should be finished in January.

There’s a benefit, too, for people disposing of their yard waste, Boettcher said. The agreement with Kansas City calls for improving the access road, which also serves the brush site.

The Dog has a sensitive nose, so he just had to ask: Are any smells expected to drift from this water storage facility?

Boettcher says no.

This story was originally published April 23, 2014 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Changes in the landscape at I-470 and Raytown Road."