July 2017
KCHBA Forestalls Concrete Cul-de-Sac Mandate
Kansas Area Council Report – page 4 NAHB Legislative Day – page 5 Designation Classes – page 19
Pella’s contest at the Golf Tournament benefits Ronald McDonald House, see page 11
The City of Overland Park has been considering a proposal for over a year to require cul-de-sacs in new developments be constructed with concrete rather than asphalt. City staff met with builders and developers in 2016, during which the development community voiced several concerns, including the increased costs, aesthetics, and justification for the change. There is no doubt that concrete culde-sacs would be significantly more expensive than asphalt and would lead to considerable delays when developers pave new subdivisions. The HBA repeatedly expressed to the City of Overland Park that concrete cul-de-sacs were not the appropriate solution to their pavement maintenance concerns. The process culminated in a Public Works Committee Meeting on Wednesday, June 28 in which committee members heard from staff about the proposal and then opened the meeting to public testimony. Speakers included Executive Vice President Josh Clark, HBA President Harold Phelps, Tom French, Rob Curtis, Jim Lambie, Dan Norburg, and Jeff Carson from the Kansas City Regional Realtors Association, which also opposes the change. Overland Park City Councilman Terry
Goodman also spoke on the issue, encouraging the committee to listen to the development community’s concerns and emphasizing that the best way to encourage new growth in Overland Park is to maintain a positive relationship with the HBA.
tion to the city’s pavement maintenance concerns. The issue has been postponed until the January 2018 meeting of the Public Works Committee, giving the City and the HBA time to restart this process and explore other options going forward.
Committee Chair Fred Spears communicated his appreciation of the HBA’s feedback and directed city staff to delay the current proposal mandating concrete cul-de-sacs. Instead, the City will sit down with builders and developers and work together to identify the best solu-
The HBA has made a point to become more actively involved in government affairs, especially on the local level. Thank you to everyone who participated in this campaign by making phone calls, providing testimony and attending meetings.