By Don Bradley
Neighbors got their chance Tuesday night to throw up some red flags about a developer’s plan for the closed nursing home at Blue Ridge Boulevard and Wornall Road.
But they didn’t.
The biggest issue seemed to be about additional traffic the planned apartment complex with 133 units might bring, but even that didn’t seem to be a big deal.
Neighbors seemed glad something was finally being done with the property.
“I’m glad we could pick up this property and do something good with it,” Brittany Deatherage, vice-president of construction for IronDoor development, told the Zoom audience.
A dozen or so interested people tuned in to the “public engagement meeting,’’ a requirement for development plans in Kansas City.
The property at 12940 Wornall was constructed in the early 1990s and had operated as a nursing home and rehabilitation center before closing in summer of 2020, and becoming an eyesore.
The property went through four different nursing home operations in four years and was cited multiple times for not complying with Medicare code.
An earlier redevelopment plan fell through.
IronDoor’s plan calls for conversion of the three existing buildings into rental apartments. Most (82 percent) would be studio and one-bedroom units. The others (18 percent) would be two- and three-bedroom apartments.
Plans call for complete renovation, including new countertops, tile and appliances. A total landscaping makeover is also part of the plan.
Rent amounts would run from $800 to $2,000 monthly. A minimum of low-income housing vouchers would also be allowed.
The target tenant would be first-time renters and young families.
College students would also figure in.
“We’ve got Avila right down the road,” Deatherage told the Zoom audience.
The first few questions from the Zoom audience were about the effect the new tenants, and their 135 cars, would bring to an area with an already busy intersection at Wornall and Blue Ridge.
Deatherage said IronDoor was working with the city on traffic concerns, but that the project’s impact would be negligible enough that no traffic study was required.
Someone asked about security.
Deatherage said the project would certainly enhance safety by having the property occupied rather than by serving as a refuge for stragglers and homeless persons.
The plan goes before the Kansas City Plan Commission on Sept. 4. IronDoor hopes to start leasing in the summer of 2025.