Would smelly garbage be tolerated if this shopping center wasn’t in south Kansas City? | Opinion

The Robandee Shopping Center in south Kansas City is filthy. The stench emanating from waste behind the commercial property is beyond tolerable. And residents nearby have reason to be worried about their health and quality of life.

Illegal dumping isn’t new at the dilapidated strip mall near Bannister and James A. Reed roads. Empty storefronts and a dearth of customers exacerbate the problem, neighborhood leaders said. We’ve known for some time that new commercial tenants are badly needed in the center.

But it’s the trash strewn about the property that poses the most immediate risk to the environment and must be addressed.

For years, neighbors adjacent to the neglected yet still operable shopping center have begged Kansas City officials to crack down on obvious health code and other violations, according to community activists we spoke with.

Is anyone at City Hall listening?

Apparently not.

On a recent trip to the shopping center, it became apparent why neighbors have lost faith in the city’s ability to hold the derelict property owner’s out-of-town landlord accountable.

In back of the complex, we saw piles of trash filled with rotten food strewn across the pavement. Discarded tires are visible, too. At times, the stench from the compost was too much to stand. Electrical issues persist in the storefronts. One of the few businesses left uses a generator to provide power.

Rodents and othjer vermin routinely have a field day on the site, neighborhood leaders told us. If similar conditions existed in Kansas City’s more affluent and predominantly white neighborhoods such Waldo or Brookside, the outrage would be met with action, activists said.

But not in south Kansas City.

In the Robandee South and other neighborhoods in the area, inaction is par for the course, said Brandon Wright, co-chair of the Hickman Mills United neighborhood group, which is putting pressure on city officials to act.

“It’s bad,” Wright said of the garbage. “But we’ve seen worse.”

Kansas City’s code enforcement division is and has been for years aware of issues at Robandee. A gate on the perimeter of the building does little to keep at bay dangerous drag races known as sideshows and illegal dumping.

To prevent future erosion of their neighborhood, residents want the sideshows to end and piles of trash removed. As of Friday, despite a warning from the city to the property owner, Robandee was still in bad shape.

Attempts to reach a representative of the private company that owns the commercial building were unsuccessful.

Earlier this month, code enforcement officers visited the center and took photos of their findings, according to a spokesperson for the city’s Neighborhood Services department.

In a canned statement to media outlets, city officials acknowledged the absentee property owner failed to keep the property safe. But what can be done about illegal dumping?

“Following the visit, the city notified the property owner, who is responsible for cleanup, to rectify the issue,” the statement read. “According to the owner, there are arrangements to deliver a dumpster and remove the debris.”

If the owner does not follow through on their responsibility, the city will remove debris from the property and bill the owner the cost of cleanup work performed and an administrative fee, Kansas City officials said.

But has the city done enough to encourage compliance? No, said Hickman Mills United’s Wright.

The conditions of the property are dire. Two-thirds of the structure is condemned and must be addressed immediately, according to Wright.

Concerned neighbors are concerned the site is an unregulated landfill. Can you blame them?

The blight in parts of the Hickman Mills area is unacceptable, neighborhood leaders told us. And the state of the Robandee Shopping Center doesn’t help. But the rotten smell coming from behind the rundown shopping center makes matters so much worse. The people who live in the area deserve better.

We urge Kansas City officials to clear the property of trash and debris, and send the cleanup bill to its rightful owner — and as soon as possible. Maybe then, the responsible parties will get the message that forcing people to live next to filth is as unacceptable in Robandee South as it is anywhere in Kansas City.