Woodbridge Manor raises its sleepy head a third time in 20 years

By Kathy Feist

On Wednesday morning the City Plan Commission will review preliminary plans and hold a public hearing for Woodbridge Manor, a 151 single home development plan off Red Bridge and Grandview road. It will be the third city approval process for the development in 20 years. 

The public hearing starts at 9:30 am. At the same time, a gathering of interested residents is planned at the South Patrol Division’s multi-purpose building at 9701 Marion Dr. They will participate in the hearing through Zoom. 

Plans call for 151 homes on 53 acres west of 10806 Grandview Road. Currently the wooded property contains streams, a small park and scenic bridge on the west end. The houses will be priced from $300,000 to $400,000, according to sources. 

Woodbridge Manor will be sandwiched between two neighborhoods: St. Catherine’s on its north and Southern Hills on the south. The plan shows one exit north into St. Catherine’s, one exit east onto Grandview Road and four exits south into the Southern Hills neighborhood. These four exits converge onto one street–Myrtle Street–Southern Hills’ only outlet. 

A neighborhood meeting hosted by the developer’s representative Krystal Voth was held at the Red Bridge Public Library on December 17th. 

Chief among the concerns, according to residents who attended the meeting, was the potential for congested traffic on Myrtle Street. It is the only street that exits onto east Red Bridge Road, a two-lane arterial road that experiences heavy traffic during rush hour.

Other concerns included the heavy use of dynamite on the rocky terrain during the development phase and water run-off from Woodbridge Manor onto Southern Hills due to its higher proximity.

The City Plan Commission meeting calls for approval of the development plan and its residential open space preliminary plat. The plans are suggested for “Approval with Conditions.” 

The hearing will be hybrid, both in-person at City Hall, 414 East 12th Street, 10th floor Council Committee Room, Kansas City, Missouri and virtually via Zoom. 

In 2016, a development plan presented by Sam Shoubaki of Automatic Solutions, LLC was approved by the City Council despite opposition from nearby residents. According to a source, funding the project proved challenging. 

In 2005, a plan for 180 single family homes was presented to the city but was dismissed. 

The property is currently listed at $1.4 million. A contract is pending with a development group consisting of local and out-of-town investors under the name Woodbridge Manor LLC.