New Luxury Apartment Community Planned at New Longview; Independence Avenue CID Proposed

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

A new luxury apartment community, planned in west Lee’s Summit, has drawn opposition from local residents, Lee’s Summit Journal reports.

The $25 million project, called Hearthview at New Longview, calls for the construction of between 250 and 270 units on a vacant parcel southeast of Kessler Drive and Longview Road. According to Jim Thomas, a partner in Hearthview, the apartments aim to be “the highest-end apartments in eastern Jackson County.”

The residents opposing the plan claim the scope and location of the development contradict the original plan which was presented to them when they acquired their homes in New Longview and they are concerned about the impact it will have on property values and traffic.

However, New Longview developer David Gale said the luxury development will help attract more retail to the area. He also remarked that the proposed site of the project, just south of the current 207 apartment community, only deviates slightly from the New Longview master plan. The original plan called for additional units a few hundred feet to the east of the proposed site. Regarding the increased traffic concerns, he said the extra traffic generated by the complex is expected to go to the north. He also estimates it would be a small addition compared to the 8,000 students that come to Metropolitan Community College-Longview.

In other local news, the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce has proposed a community improvement district for the historic community, The Kansas City Business Journal reports. The proposed CID would encompass Independence Avenue in the northeast region of Kansas City and south of Missouri River.

The Independence Avenue CID petition requires the approval of over 50 percent of the district’s property owners and the Kansas City Council. If approved, the CID would assess $300 a year in property taxes for its creation and a one cent sales tax to continue its funding.

Photo Courtesy of: www.newlongview.com