The Platte County R-3 School District resubmitted its plans to build a new elementary school in Platte City, and a fast food restaurant received unanimous approval to build on NW Prairie View Road during the Platte City Planning and Zoning Commission meeting held Tuesday, May 5 at Platte City City Hall. A minor clerical error kept district officials from receiving approval on its preliminary and final plats and site plan for its new building, slated to be built on the portion of its Duncan Farm Property located along Fourth Street. The plans include an extension of Kentucky Avenue from its current terminus at Bent Oak Court to Fourth Street to accommodate the new building.
Voters approved a property tax increase in the April 7 general municipal election to fund the project.
The city gave official notice of the public hearing scheduled for Tuesday’s meeting, but the district failed to deliver certified letters to all adjacent property owners to notify them of the hearing. The commission will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26, assuming at least five of the nine members can attend.
Five of the six present for Tuesday’s meeting committed to be there.
The school district was required to resubmit its preliminary plat, which was previously approved in 2012 ahead of a failed tax levy. Statutes require the resubmission after two years have passed.
The building portion did not change from 2012.
The new elementary school, planned to house grades kindergarten through fifth, will be 62, 969 square feet and will be constructed on 9.54 acres of land. A 5.67 acre area located to the north will be maintained as a dry stormwater retention site, based on a study done in 2012.
The major difference comes in the planned roadway to service the new school, slated to open for the 2016-17 school year. The city and district will jointly fund the road project with the district eventually paying the city back for its portion.
Original plans called for a phased extension of Kentucky Avenue, but current negotiations between district and city officials are moving toward the full completion of a four-lane roadway. Both sides want to fund a four-lane divided boulevard-style roadway that picks up at the current terminus and meets up with Fourth Street around Norma Lane.
Sidewalks will be also included along with street lighting from Fourth Street to Ensign Drive.
The new plan calls for an adjustment to the Kentucky-Fourth streets intersection, although the final improvements have not been settled. There will likely be all or some combination of right- and left-hand turn lanes on Kentucky and a new left-hand turn lane on Fourth Street.
A previous traffic study indicated those improvements would not be necessary, but officials said that study didn’t take future development into account. Both sides agree the improvements are necessary, and Platte County superintendent Dr. Mike Reik said the district plans another traffic study to back that up.
The proper easements and right of way have been established with the additional land needed for the new turn lanes coming out of the school district’s property.
“We can use our subjective judgement as well, and that’s what we’ve used in this case,” Platte City city administrator DJ Gehrt said. “Once Fourth Street goes through, there’s probably people lining up right now to see how fast they can make that trip.
“We know it’s going to have an impact.”
In other business, the commission unanimously approved a site plan for a new Culver’s restaurant to be located at 1650 NW Prairie View Road, between Arby’s and Roberts Chevrolet. An 1,800-square-foot vacant used car office will be razed to make room for the new building.
Construction is expected to begin in early June with a target open date of early October.
The restaurant will feature an outdoor dining patio, landscaping and awnings with outside lighting. Dubbed as “fast casual” style dining, Culver’s operates more than 500 restaurants — mostly in the Midwest — and is based in Wisconsin.
The menu features its handcrafted “butterburgers” and made-in-house frozen custard.