Special meeting set for Parkville development proposals

The Parkville board of aldermen will have a special meeting next week, with the public expected to turn out in force.

The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 30 at city hall, with the only items on the agenda expected to be the development proposals at the intersection of Interstate 435 and Highway 45. Over the last six weeks, the proposals have sparked several hours-long planning and zoning commission meetings and the formation of a new community group in opposition.

After the bulk of the proposal passed through the planning and zoning commission, Citizens for a Better Parkville launched a petition effort to solidify their opposition to the plans. Last week, the group turned in a notarized protest petition, which will require the board to pass the proposals on a two-thirds instead of a simple majority.

According to a statement on the group’s website at abetterparkville.com, it is hoped the majority requirement will allow aldermen skeptical of the plans to offer constraints and requirements making the plans more appealing to current residents.

One of those current residents, Clarence Housh, has sent a letter to the city stating his concerns. As owner of a log cabin near Hwy. 45 and Brink Myer Road, his property could be surrounded by a portion of the Creekside residential development.

Housh has spoken out at several of the planning and zoning commission hearings, and most recently suggested if the city was not interested in hearing his concerns he could contact an attorney.

In the letter, he asks the city to increase the buffer zone between the development and his property, as well as to increase the total green space and decrease the density within the development.