Heritage at Grandview approved for Belvidere

At its regular session on July 14, Grandview’s Board of Aldermen approved a conceptual development plan for the Heritage at Grandview apartment complex. Construction of the 204 units in the Belvidere neighborhood will also bring infrastructure improvements to the area.

The board also approved rezoning the property from single-family residential/general commercial district to a planned development district. The development plan passed with a 5-1 vote, opposed only by Ward III Alderman Rodney McDuffie.

Kittle Property Group now has the go-ahead to build apartments, a pool and a building for the clubhouse and storm shelter at 14925 S US 71 Highway. The blighted property has been vacant since 2005, according to city documents. It is also the former site of the Axtell Mansion, a historic Grandview landmark until a fire and subsequent demolition in 1993. 

Construction will also bring infrastructure improvements to the Belvidere neighborhood, according to Kittle Property Group Development Director Brenda Haddad. That includes new sidewalks and connecting the area’s current sewer system to the Little Blue Valley sewer lines.

The plans were unveiled by Kittle Property Group at a public hearing on June 23, although discussions about the property started last year. Construction will be partially funded by Low Income Housing Tax Credits from the state of Missouri, the development plan says. No residents spoke out against the plans at those hearings.

The residences will be managed by Kittle Property Group’s in-house property management services, Haddad said. During public comment on July 14, Belvidere neighborhood resident Eric Hartwell raised his concerns about the company.

“I don’t know if that Kittle group is what we need for Grandview, but I understand that we need housing,” Hartwell told the Board of Aldermen, citing violent crime at another local Kittle property and worries about the company’s lawsuits. He also mentioned existing infrastructure concerns in the Belvidere neighborhood that might be exacerbated by more traffic.

Haddad addressed community concerns by noting the planned infrastructure improvements and Kittle Property Group’s two other meetings with the public, held separately from city meetings. She also noted Kittle Property Group manages more than 18,000 units and has been in business since the 1940s.

“We are well established,” Haddad said. “That doesn’t mean there’s not sites where horrible things happen, but we always try to address it very, very quickly. If there’s an adjustment that needs to be made to our policy, we make sure that that gets made.” 

The Heritage at Grandview property previously had two zoning designations, which required rezoning for the new development project. During discussion, Ward III Alderman John Maloney asked City Planner Emily Spittler about the benefits of rezoning the property to the planned development designation rather than the standard multifamily residential designation.

Spittler told Maloney the planned development designation provides the developer with more flexibility than standard multifamily designations would. This allows for minor changes in the development plan, such as scooting closer to a lot line. 

The zoning designation also provides the city with an extra layer of review and a clear expectation of the final project, Spittler said. Major changes to the development plan, like alterations to building placement or unit count, would require the plan to go through the entire city approval process again.