The Westwood City Council Thursday evening unanimously approved a site plan for the new Westwood View Elementary building, a project tied to Shawnee Mission’s recently approved $264 million bond issue.
Shawnee Mission will build a new school at 4935 Belinder Ave., the former Entercom radio tower site that the district purchased in 2016.
Westwood Mayor David Waters said the city’s history of strongly identifying with the elementary school means the new building isn’t just about ensuring children get the best education possible, it’s about the future of the Westwood community.
“This is a community thing,” Waters said. “This isn’t about one parcel of property, this is really the heart and the soul of our community — and the future of our community in so many ways.”
Site plan details
Crews have already begun demolishing the former radio station, and construction on the new school building is anticipated to begin in summer 2021.
The district anticipates it will be completed by December 2022, at which point Rushton Elementary School students will move into the current Westwood View building about a block away from the old Entercom site while their school is rebuilt.
Below are some details from the Westwood View site plan, as outlined by district architects during the meeting:
- Several creative outdoor spaces including three outdoor classrooms and a patio off of the cafeteria for lunchtime visitors.
- The parking lot, which sits on the Belinder Avenue edge, will sit about three feet lower than Belinder. This is an effort to be a conscious neighbor, and block surrounding residents from some of the light and noise that will come from the school.
- Westwood View will be able to accommodate about 550 students, nearly double the amount the current building can hold.
- Two soft play areas (such as a turf play area with fall protection) and one hard play area that will likely be asphalt.
- A field that can accommodate soccer and other sports and activities.
- The gymnasium will be designed to withstand 250 mile per hour winds, and will also have a space for students and staff to retreat to in case of a tornado or other severe weather.
Resident concerns about traffic
Two residents, Jan Kyle and Jennifer Merrill, expressed concern for the additional traffic an elementary school will bring to Belinder Avenue.
Kyle said while she and her husband voted in favor of the bond measure of which the new Westwood View was part, they don’t think it belongs on the old Entercom site.
They have argued it should have gone on Rainbow Boulevard at the former Westwood Christian Church site.
Similarly, Merrill said she’s witnessed traffic build up on Belinder when a car is parked on the street — something she said residents frequently do as most driveways for homes in the area are the width of a single car.
With Rushton students headed to the current school building in 2023, Merrill said she’s concerned about how traffic from two elementary schools will impact Westwood’s community.
“I’m very, very concerned at the foresight of what this is going to create in our little community,” Merrill said. “I’m all for the school, as I said before. I’m less than thrilled with having the parking lot and all of the on and off traffic flow coming to Belinder.”
Councilmember Jeff Harris said there was a traffic study conducted at the site and it concluded there would be no issues with Westwood View’s placement.
While there are likely going to be changes with the new location, Harris said the pandemic has proven humans can adapt — and he has faith in city staff to remain adaptable as challenges arise during this process.
Other councilmembers shared similar sentiments, including Councilmember Jason Hannaman who said although he’s upset he and the city can’t please every resident, the same concerns would arise in any other locations.
The city council unanimously approved the site plan, with the condition that a warrant analysis at 49th Terrace and Belinder Avenue is conducted the first fall the school is open.
The analysis will determine if additional measures such as a crosswalk for children safety need to be implemented at the intersection.
