Stepping up for the little guys

Late last week, our neighborhood association President got an email. The basic premis of the email is that KCP&L has decided to build an electrical substation taking up almost the entire city block along Troost from 32nd St Terrace to 33rd Street. According to our city council "representative", this process is very far along.

KCP&L says it needs the substation in order to upgrade the electrical in our area.

The problems with this location would be obvious to most, but there are several reasons why this is a horrible location for this venture:

#1, This is right in the middle of a neighborhood – it’s one thing to put an electrical substation in a business area, or in an off-the-beaten path area,  it’s another to put it butting up next to residential.  It will absolutely kill the property values of the people who live in these homes (all of which are on the National Historic Register).

#2 There has been a ton of work along Troost over the past few years…that is working to make Troost the gathering place it once was vs the proverbial black/white dividing line in the city.  This work is evident South of Brush Creek, but also very evident South of 31^st Street, including many renovated homes and buildings across the street from this proposed substation.  We arecloser to restoring Troost as a grand Boulevard it once was - -where it can be a gathering place for people of all races and ethnicity.  An electrical substation would create a “dead” block along Troost – stifling development of this corridor, and creating a further gap of a dividing line between the city’s races.

#3 According to the mayor Funkhouser's Blog, there is someone who is looking at property in this area as a potential location for a Children's Youth Center...in fact, one of the buildings that is of great interest is the building that is owned by the city that is NEXT DOOR to the proposed substation.  This project, which is badly needed, will most certainly relocate once knowledge of the substation becomes more public. 

Let me now say this isn't a case of NIMBY-ism on my part.  This type of thing doesn’t belong in the middle of anyone’s neighborhood – and certainly not along one of our primary historic streets.  There are many other locations nearby that are in abandoned commercial areas, or in areas that have been completely cleared out and are now empty land space (due to the overclearing out of homes along the building of 71 Highway) that would be solid locations for this venture.  Commercial areas wouldn't suffer as much from having a substation butt up against their property (nor would residences have to endure potential health risks) nor would these locations create a dead spot along a major corridor that would kill future growth, and further widen the white/black dividing line that exists in this city.

Since moving to this neighborhood, I've watched HUD violate their own section 8 concentration policies within our neighborhood.  I've watched drug deals and prostitution John calls. I've heard gunfire.  I live in one of the worst school districts in the entire US.  Who will want to reinvest into these neighborhoods if this is how the city/utilities treat the neighborhoods -- and the people who are trying to make the city a better place.

Will the city step up and look out for the little guys in this?  Or will they continue to look out for the businesses and utilities?  Are the new council members/mayor serious about being an organization about the people?  This is my test...

Comments

[Michelled]

How about the constont hum of the ghetto bird? Or the meth house owned by slumlord C. Williard that caught on fire last week? How about having to set up your own sting operations to catch the folks stealing your porch plants? How about that the city probably owns that land but since non of our reps live in the North 4th non of them will care? How about the one that used to did NOTHING about the HUD violations...How about my husband that made me move here from safe, peaceful Mission, KS!?! - oops, did I say that out loud!? ;-)

[Michelled]

It's not just the historical homes this effects...there is a wonderful new housing development (beautiful bungalows) going on the East side of Troost. They're doing it right and constructing houses to fit in with rest of the older homes...while the station would technically be in the 4th District this effects the 3rd in the same way.

[Mark]

BT,

I totally blanked out about this post. I should have linked to you. I will remedy that immediately.