Repurposing WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL - Im copy and pasting -AN OPEN LETTER TO THE RESIDENTS OF THE HYDE PARK, OLD HYDE PARK AND SOUTHMORELAND NEIGHBORHOODS PLEASE ATTEND AN IMPORTANT NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING THIS THURSDAY (8/14/14) AND LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD -THE FUTURE OF WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL IMPACT ALL OF US PLEASE ATTEND a meeting this Thursday, August 14th, 6 pm at All Souls Church, 45th and Walnut. The meeting’s purpose is for Foutch Brothers to update us on their repurposing proposal for Westport High School. However, there is another group interested in presenting to the neighborhoods and the Kansas City Public School District is reluctant to allow them to speak UNLESS THE NEIGHBORHOODS REQUEST IT. Quick summary of the issue: The Repurposing staff for the school district is looking for community feedback on the materially-revised Foutch residential proposal (without Academie Lafayette). I believe confining our evaluation of options to just the Foutch proposal is selling ourselves short - the Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners group wishes to be considered, and when they were two years ago their proposal received the majority of community support. I am not arguing in favor of one development group over the other, only that we be allowed to evaluate the two proposals again, because the Foutch development proposal our neighborhoods supported had as its anchor Academie Lafayette, and that is no longer the case. IF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS STRONGLY INDICATE AT THIS WEEK’S MEETING THAT THEY WANT TO HEAR THE KANSAS CITY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS PROPOSAL IN ADDITION TO THE FOUTCH BROTHERS PROPOSAL, THE DISTRICT WILL HONOR THE WISHES OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. Extended Discussion and Background: Our neighborhoods originally favored a development proposal by Foutch Brothers, whose repurposing proposal for Westport High School had, at its center, a 500 student Academie Lafayette high school international baccalaureate program with market rate apartments and a membership-based fitness club. Academie Lafayette high school is now in the process of locating to Southwest High School and is no longer a part of the Foutch proposal for Westport High. With Academie Lafayette out, the Foutch Brothers proposal has materially changed, very significantly, because it now does not have the #1 component our community supported – a well-managed school. We anticipate the revised Foutch proposal will be for market rate apartments, a fitness center and possibly some other commercial use. As you may recall, two years ago we went through a process of two community meetings to assess proposals for Westport High and Middle, and of the top two proposals, the Foutch residential reuse and the Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners mixed use proposal, the neighborhoods picked the Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners development proposal by a wide margin - before the Foutch Brothers proposal included the Academie Lafayette high school. The two original proposals can be viewed here: kcpublicschools.org/Page/1190 Today, we find ourselves where were two years ago, we have the same two development groups with practically the same two development proposals. The Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners group has indicated their continued interest in Westport High (they were already awarded and closed on Westport Middle earlier this year). As this moment, the KC School District is only considering the Foutch Brothers residential proposal for Westport High. If you think (as many do) that it is important for our neighborhoods have the opportunity, as we did two years ago, to again consider the two original development proposals, please attend Thursday meeting and let your voice be heard. And if you support the Foutch proposal, please attend as well and make your voice heard. Regardless of your opinion, it is important that we as a community turn out and continue to engage in the repurposing process. We have two options: (1) support the residential reuse of Westport High as Foutch will propose, or (2) consider the Foutch proposal alongside an updated Kansas City Sustainable Development Partners mixed use proposal. I am not supporting one proposal over another - I am simply asking that our neighborhoods consider the two development proposals, updated, again. The Repurposing of Westport High will affect us for decades to come, and we should be able to make a patient, considered choice among the best options available to us.If you would like to consider more options, please attend this Thursday meeting and voice your opinion either way, but I urge everyone to support for the consideration of the best options, not just one, for Westport High. Please also make your voice known by emailing the school district representatives: Shannon Jaax([email protected]), Nicole Collier White ([email protected]), John Hile ([email protected]) Steve Green ([email protected] or [email protected]). Sincerely, Greg Corwin President, Southmoreland NA
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 18:01:54 +0000
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