About two dozen residents, volunteers and clients packed Olathe City Hall on Monday night for an emotional hearing over whether the Starfish Project Foundation should be allowed to move into a building at 135th Street and Brougham Drive.
After more than three and a half hours of discussion and testimony, the Olathe Planning Commission voted 5-3 to recommend denying the nonprofit’s request for a special use permit, despite city staff recommending approval.
How they voted:
• Taylor Breen: Absent
• Keith Brown: No
• Tony Bergida: Yes
• Ken Chapman: No
• Chip Corcoran: Yes
• Wayne Janner: Yes
• Megan Lynn: No
• Scott Seeling: No
• Jim Terrones: No
But the planning commission doesn’t have the final say. The Olathe City Council will vote on the permit on Aug. 18 and can override the planning commission’s recommendation.
The permit is critical for Starfish. While the nonprofit has already leased the 14,560-square-foot building, it can’t legally operate its food pantry, clothing closet and personal support services there without a special use permit because of the property’s current zoning.
For the past several months, the nonprofit has been looking for a new home.
Originally located on Clairborne Road, the nonprofit was forced to move when the city acquired the property for the I-35 and Santa Fe Street interchange project.
It then moved into a strip mall at Santa Fe Street and Parker Street, but the landlord later asked the organization to leave after neighboring businesses complained about traffic and parking. Since May, Starfish has operated from a temporary location on West 119th Street, where space constraints have limited its services while it waits for a permanent home.
Watch the full meeting here.
A divided room
By the time the meeting began Monday evening, city hall was standing room only.
More than two dozen residents, volunteers, clients and supporters addressed commissioners during the public hearing.
Throughout the night, speakers on both sides repeatedly stressed they support Starfish’s mission of providing free food, clothing and household goods to families in need. But disagreements arose over what impact the organization’s presence would have on the neighborhood.
Supporters described Starfish as a lifeline that prevents homelessness. Neighbors described it as a growing operation that doesn’t belong at the entrance of a subdivision.
Andrew Kemp, who lives adjacent to Briarwood, said he was ashamed of his neighbors for opposing the project.
“ I, for one, cannot imagine living in a community that would spend its resources to be the hearth for those in the cold, to kindle a light for the drifted souls and to offer a reprieve for hunger,” he said. “That would simply be far too humane.”
Carrie Johnson, who has volunteered with Starfish for a decade, said fears about the nonprofit attracting crime or homelessness did not match her experience.
“Clients are not a threat to the neighborhood,” she said. “They want to continue being involved in Starfish. They don’t want to jeopardize their support system.”
Caleb Bower said Starfish has been critical for his family of eight.
“They’re a resource of incalculable worth to the people who need them,” he said. “That includes my family, your neighbors.”
Neighbors say the issue is location
Opponents repeatedly insisted they support Starfish’s mission but believe the organization belongs somewhere other than the entrance to Briarwood.
“The question before the commission is not whether Starfish does valuable work,” resident DJ Riehm said. “The question is whether this particular operation is appropriate at this particular location immediately adjacent to an established residential neighborhood.”
Several residents pointed to Starfish’s previous location on Santa Fe Street, where neighboring businesses complained about traffic and parking.
Others expressed concerns that the nonprofit could increase loitering, litter and panhandling.
Kate Gray said she was worried about the nonprofit’s proximity to Indian Creek Trail, which she and other speakers said often has tents.
“I am concerned that Starfish located near the Indian Creek Trail will be a magnet and draw more homeless people to those woods,” she said.
Others raised concerns about increased traffic near Tomahawk Elementary School.
Staff recommends approval
City planning staff recommended approving the permit with several stipulations, including limiting it to two years rather than the typical five.
Staff also recommended additional landscaping, prohibiting outdoor storage and allowing Starfish one small box truck to collect donations.
Planning staff concluded Starfish’s estimated peak traffic — which the organization estimates to be about 40 vehicles per hour — would be lower than many commercial uses already allowed on the property, including the Aldi grocery store that occupied the building for decades.
Planning commissioners’ pushback
The majority of commissioners disagreed with staff’s recommendation.
Commissioner Joe Terrones said concerns about traffic and children walking near the property ultimately drove his decision.
“For me, a parent with grandkids, I’m concerned about the safety issue of the little ones,” he said.
Chairman Wayne Janner, who has lived in Briarwood for 30 years, said he had been “fifty-fifty” on the proposal for weeks, but ultimately voted in favor of the organization’s permit.
“The attraction of loitering, the people we don’t want there, the homelessness… I don’t see that as an issue with Starfish because it’s already going on,” Janner said.
Starfish’s founder defends plans
Moreland maintained that a lot of the Briarwood residents’ concerns stemmed from misconceptions about the organization.
She said the nonprofit’s estimate of serving up to a thousand people a day refers to the number of people ultimately helped, not the number of visitors to the property. City staff clarified that many clients pick up supplies for multiple family members or others in need.
Moreland also said that only about 5% of Starfish’s clients are experiencing homelessness and that she plans to install security cameras, monitor the property for trash and prohibit loitering and camping.
“We want to work with you all on your concerns and how we can address them,” Moreland said earlier this month during a neighborhood meeting.
The city council is expected to take up the special use permit Aug. 18. Because the planning commission recommended denial, Starfish will need at least five city council votes for the permit to be approved.
