Crossing the line: Loch Lloyd developer looks to expand into KC, but first he must address the issue surrounding an abandoned golf course

By Kathy Feist

(This story has been updated since it appeared in the January 16 print edition of the Telegraph.)

The Village of Loch Lloyd may soon expand into Kansas City.

Loch Lloyd developer Brian Illig, under the title LL North, has purchased two tracts of land–about 84 acres each– on Kenneth Road, north of the Jackson County border. The addresses 1099 Kenneth Rd. and 215 Kenneth Rd. are immediately north of the Village of Loch Lloyd which is located in Cass County.

While sources say Illig plans to build 120 homes on the properties, his real estate team, Loch Lloyd Residential Real Estate and Development, could only confirm the purchase. 

“At this point, no formal plans have been submitted, as we are still in the early exploratory phase,” reads a statement from Loch Lloyd Residential Real Estate and Development.   “We have engaged in productive early conversations with Mayor Quinton Lucas, City Manager Brian Platt, and their team. While discussions are still in the preliminary stages, there is mutual interest in exploring the potential to expand Loch Lloyd’s unique community into Kansas City, Missouri.”

Mayor Lucas welcomed the potential development. “Loch Lloyd is an exceptional community on Kansas City’s border,” he said in an email to the Telegraph. “We appreciate our ongoing conversations with developers in their community as we build a strong future for the people of the Village of Loch Lloyd and Kansas City.”

In 2023, the Kansas City mayor proposed annexing Loch Lloyd  a move that would help solve infrastructure problems with Kenneth Road, a necessary aspect to Loch Lloyd’s future growth. At the time, the proposal was dismissed by the Loch Lloyd Board of Trustees. 

Any expansion of the Village of Loch Lloyd would have to first be approved by its Board of Trustees, which acts as the township’s city council. Randy Schultz, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, was unaware of the LL North purchase.

Illig has been a busy developer in Loch Lloyd, having expanded the Village boundaries west into Johnson County (Blue Valley) to much applause and recently providing impressive plans for the Loch Lloyd Country Club, which he owns. 

But a southend housing development that Illig proposed two years ago has received pushback from longtime Loch Lloyd residents. 

Illig has proposed rezoning portions of the 75-acre Sechrest golf course, currently zoned recreational (ROS), into residential (R1) for 48 single-family homes. A vote from the Board of Trustees will be made at a meeting on Thursday, January 23, to determine the outcome. A supermajority vote (⅘) is necessary to approve rezoning. However, knowing how some of the Trustees lean on the matter, residents affected by the golf course submitted a petition requiring a ⅔ vote. With enough signatures, the Board of Trustees will have to comply, according to a state statute. 

Along with that comes a threat issued by the Loch Lloyd’s South HOA. Unless the South HOA is  included in the planning process, “we cannot allow the use of the private streets and gates to facilitate the proposed development” reads a letter issued earlier this month. In Loch Lloyd, the HOAs own the streets. 

The Sechrest golf course sits in the middle of a long established neighborhood on the south end. About 70 property owners who built their homes around a lovely stretch of golf course have fought the plans since they were  submitted a few years ago. Illig had initially proposed over 100 houses and townhouses on the golf course which was shut down during the pandemic. The residents’ opposition led to a new Land Use Master Area Plan approved a year ago that required 150-foot buffers between properties, seriously diminishing housing density. 

Illig submitted new plans in October that disregarded the 150-foot buffer in some spots, but decreased the number of homes to 48, kept a portion of the scenic golf course, added trails and created landscaping that addressed the buffering issue. 

After public input at the Village Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in October, the Commissioners instructed Illig to conduct specific studies and work with the South HOA. The application for rezoning was considered incomplete. The Commissioners voted unanimously to recommend that the Board of Trustees reject the application. 

As of January 15, Illig has not met with the HOA to address issues regarding water run-off, construction of new streets, sewer capacity and design aesthetics. “We don’t see it as unreasonable to require prior to rezoning, that the Developer conduct proper engineering studies.” states the HOA letter. 

Regardless of the lack of studies recommended by the Commissioners, the Village Clerk has accepted Illig’s application as complete. 

The Telegraph reached out to South HOA Board Members and residents who did not want to go on record at this time. 

 Schultz says that application requirements set by any Clerk varies from city to city and, in this case, Loch Lloyd’s application for rezoning is not bound to HOA rules and regulations. 

“It’s my understanding that when the clerk takes in an application, he makes a determination of what type of information must be put in the application,” he says. “There are no hard and fast rules on what has to be right.”

Illig’s team also responded: “Our team is adhering to the established practices that have been followed for every development phase at Loch Lloyd. Historically, the Entitlement Process is completed before entering in agreement discussions with the Homeowners Association (HOA).”

Schultz agrees saying that most developers don’t want to invest in expensive studies prior to zoning approval (or disapproval). 

 Illig’s team states they plan to conduct studies after zoning approval. “The next step in the process, if the rezoning application is approved, is the approval of a detailed development plan. During this step, we are fully committed to conducting additional studies relating to storm water retention, sanitary sewer and water systems, as well as, facilitating open and transparent conversations with all stakeholders.”

Schultz expects a long process. 

“I’ve held so many meetings over the last year about all these issues so that everybody’s voice can be heard and all the procedures are followed appropriately,” he says. “There’s no knee jerk reaction to anything. The goal is to make sure that whatever is being done, it’s in the best interest of Loch Lloyd as a whole.”