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Roeland Park asks Mission to de-annex small sliver of land near Johnson Drive and Roe Boulevard

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Mayor Mike Kelly of Roeland Park asked the Mission council last week to consider de-annexing a section of property at Johnson Drive and Roe Boulevard.

Roeland Park has asked Mission to consider redrawing its city limits to de-annex a half-acre piece of land divided by Johnson Drive. The land currently within Mission’s limits would connect the property on the north side of the street to the rest of Roeland Park.

Mayor Mike Kelly and city administrator Keith Moody of Roeland Park discussed the city’s request at the Mission community development committee meeting Wednesday.

City limits are often drawn along major dividing lines, such as streets and waterways. After the Kansas Department of Transportation realigned the northeast corner of Johnson Drive at Roe Boulevard, it created a small section — about .7 acres of property — that is divided by Johnson Drive but technically still belongs to the city of Mission.

To simplify the process for future development of the area, Roeland Park has approached Mission to request it to de-annex the property between Johnson Drive and Mission’s city limits. That parcel of land is already part of a 2.7-acre lot owned by Roeland Park.

“Mission and Roeland Park have both been working diligently over multiple years to make this corridor a better reflection of our communities,” Kelly said. “By allowing us to partner in this de-annexation process, we can simplify zoning, plan submittals, reviews and the approval process for development of that property, allowing continued momentum and energy within this area.”

Kelly wrote in a Nov. 1 letter to the city of Mission that the change “would allow the entire parcel owned by Roeland Park to be within its own municipal boundaries.”

Here is the proposed change:

This is Roeland Park’s proposed annexation plan. The red line indicates the current boundary between Roeland Park to the north and Mission to the south, at Johnson Drive and Roe Boulevard. The green line is the proposed boundary change.

“The process to de-annex the parcel from Mission and annex it into Roeland Park is straight forward,” he wrote, adding that future developers would only require project approval from one city instead of two.

Kelly mentioned recent developments in the area, including Commerce Bank and a small St. Luke’s hospital, as well as a new Planning Sustainable Places grant from the Mid-America Regional Council for Roeland Park to develop the “bookends” of the Roe Boulevard corridor.

Additionally, Mission Gateway is in development on the south side of Johnson Drive near the parcel of land in question.

No addresses or land sales would change as a result of the change, Kelly added.

If the annexation process takes place, then the traffic signal at Johnson Drive and Roe Boulevard would be 50 percent within each of the city’s boundaries. As a result, Roeland Park will take on half of the financial responsibility for the traffic signal, according to the Nov. 1 letter. Total annual costs are about $36,000.

During the discussion at the Wednesday committee meeting, Mission councilmember Sollie Flora asked if Mission’s interlocal agreement with Roeland Park would continue so that Mission could still have input on future development of the property. Mission city administrator Laura Smith confirmed that the interlocal agreement would continue.

Smith added that Roeland Park has agreed to help pay for costs of de-annexation, roughly $7,500.

Councilmember Debbie Kring said she wanted to see a list of pros and cons of de-annexation before deciding anything.

The Mission city staff will continue discussions with Roeland Park on next steps for discussing de-annexation of the property and revisit the subject with the Mission council at a later date.

About the author

Leah Wankum
Leah Wankum

Hi there! I’m Leah Wankum, and I’m the Post’s Deputy Editor. I’m thrilled to call Johnson County home, and I’m deeply committed to the Post’s philosophy that an informed community is a strong community.

I’m a native of mid-Missouri, and attended high school in Jefferson City before going on to the University of Central Missouri, where I earned a master’s degree in mass communication.

Prior to joining the Post as a reporter in 2018, I was the editor of the Richmond News in Ray County, Missouri. I’ve also written for several publications, including the Sedalia Democrat and KC Magazine.

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