A resident-led group who successfully organized in opposition to selling Westwood’s main city park earlier this month still insists the city should buy the old Westwood View Elementary building nearby in order to build an even larger park on that corner.
But the city’s mayor reiterated in a recent email newsletter to residents that the city lacks the money to buy the school property on its own and had been banking on an influx of cash from the developer who wanted to build on the adjacent Joe D. Dennis Park.
Now, what happens to the school property as well as Joe D. Dennis Park remains up for discussion, though city officials say their options are limited.
Voters rejected park sale in special election
After 52% of Westwood voters in a special election earlier this month rejected the city’s move to sell Joe D. Dennis Park, Westwood Mayor David Waters told residents in an email newsletter on Wednesday that there is now no clear path for the city to buy the old school.
Before the April 1 special election, the city and Mission Woods-based Karbank Real Estate Company planned to move forward on a deal that called for an office and retail project on the site of Joe D. Dennis Park and the existing green space directly adjacent to it.
In exchange for building on city-owned property, Karbank had agreed to give the city money to buy the former Westwood View Elementary building immediately to the west from the Shawnee Mission School District.
As part of that two-pronged plan, the city wanted to demolish the old school building and develop a new bigger park on the site.
Now, after residents opposed the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park in hopes of the city buying the old school building and turning the entire block of land into a large park — Waters said the city does not have the funds on hand to buy the old school building. This is something the city was clear about, particularly online, before the public vote.
How did it come up for a vote?
Since 2023, the city and a group of residents opposed to the project have been in a legal back-and-forth over the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park.
The effort came after Karbank proposed a development featuring six multi-story office buildings to replace Joe D. Dennis Park and the former Westwood Christian Church site to the south.
In exchange, Karbank planned to give the city money to buy the former Westwood View Elementary building. The city hoped to use that land to develop a new 3.86-acre park, nearly four times the size of Joe D. Dennis Park.
The city needed to sell the former church land and Joe D. Dennis Park before the project, which the city had previously approved, could move forward.
The resident-led group Friends of Westwood Parkland strongly opposed the Karbank project, arguing that the development would jeopardize the small suburb’s character.
After the Westwood City Council approved the project in October 2023, the group argued that the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park is subject to a state statute (K.S.A 12-1301) that requires notice of intent to sell public parkland.
A protest petition submitted by residents in December 2023 wound up before the Kansas Court of Appeals, which sided with residents.
Late last year, the city council reversed course and agreed to put the controversial park sale up for a public vote.
SMSD would list property if city agreement is canceled
In a Monday email to the Post, David Smith, Chief Communications Officer with the Shawnee Mission School District, said the due diligence period as outlined in the purchase agreement between the city and the district ends June 1.
Per that agreement, the school district currently expects the city to pay $2.785 million for the old Westwood View property, excluding reimbursements for maintenance and electricity expenses, Smith said.
It was that price that the city had been planning to pay with money from Karbank.
The city has yet to tell the school district whether they need to cancel the purchase agreement, Smith said, noting that the city and school district could potentially discuss another extension on the due diligence period and closing date “to allow the City time to explore other financing option ideas recently presented to them by residents.”
“If the city cancels the purchase agreement due to lack of financing, the District would proceed with listing and selling the property,” Smith said.
Waters explains why the city can’t buy the school
In his recent email to residents, Waters reiterated what the city had communicated before this month’s special election: that the city cannot afford to buy the $2.785 million Westwood View building on its own.
The city, Waters said, currently has no alternative plan to come up with that amount by the July 1 closing date stipulated in the existing purchase agreement between the city and the school district.
The city has until May 8, the next city council meeting, to determine whether it can feasibly purchase the building. That’s because the due diligence period of the current agreement ends June 1.
Waters’ letter goes on to say that developing a bigger park on the nearly eight acres of combined land covering Joe D. Dennis Park, the old church site and the Westwood View property will cost between $8.76 and $9.86 million. Paying for such a venture with city funds alone, Waters said, would require a nearly 76% property tax rate increase.
There is also little hope for issuing new debt by the proscribed closing date to buy the school, as well as little hope that other communities might help Westwood financially in this endeavor, Waters said.
Waters did invite the community members to donate to the city’s foundation as a potential means to help pay to buy the old school building.
Read Waters’ entire email newsletter below.
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Open in new tab Resident opposition group weighs in
For their part, the Friends of Westwood Parkland, the resident group that led the “no” vote charge in the April 1 election, said its number one priority remains upgrading and expanding Joe D. Dennis Park.
The group says it plans to communicate with governing bodies in other neighboring Johnson County cities that may want to be involved in the effort to upgrade and expand the existing park.
Additionally, the group told the Post that it wants to form a steering committee of neighbors and elected officials.
“The one thing we want to make very clear is that Friends of Westwood Parkland is not going to, and never planned on, asking for a tax hike to pay for the park expansion and improvement,” the group told the Post.
The group told the Post in a statement on Friday that the group — similar to the mayor — was encouraged by voter turnout for the special election, which topped 60%.
Friends of Westwood Parkland encourages others who are interested in joining efforts to contact the group through its website.
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