The Lenexa Shelter Project
Is it safe? Will it attract crime? Will it attract drugs? How much will it cost us? Will it be used for Illegals? Is it a transparent project? Who will oversee it? Similar projects have failed Is this the best solution? |
Project Status
Taxpayers Money Wasted
August 22nd, 2024
Lenexa staff has just put a beatdown on the "unfinalized" and "inadequate" homeless shelter plan.
August 26th, 2024
Lenexa planning commission AGREES UNANIMOUSLY with staff AGAINST the "unfinalized" and "inadequate" shelter plan!"
September 17th, 2024
Lenexa City Council stands strong! Votes 5-2 to REJECT reStart Homeless Shelter at La Quinta Inn!
Issue 1
Non County Residents / Illegal Immigrants
The (CES) is Coordinated entry system cannot vet or discriminate who comes into the shelter due to Federal Regulations
Issue 3
Lack of transparency
- JoCo has spent $103,000 for an Architecture firm to complete and submit the Special Use Permit. The estimated start was July 1st. This was not noted in what I thought was a very transparent and excellent 3 page article in the Lenexa Town Talk July newsletter about how the Special Use Permit process works.
- To bring both the over 45 yr old La Quinta Inn and 9 yr shuttered former Denny’s building up to ADA compliance the estimate is $650,000. This is in addition to all the other costs for new roof, HVAC, doors, windows, electrical, etc in the decaying restaurant site.
- Prior to 1977, there have been a gas station and a dry cleaners on the site.
- Thousands have been spent by Eurofins to analyze air samples inside and outside both buildings.
- HUD will not fund without being up to code and will not fund in an area with Noise issues from freeways which exist on the site. HUD funding is a big “if”.
Did You Know???
Johnson County Homeless Shelter Due Diligence Cost Breakdown
Environmental Reviews
ACTIVITY: Environmental Site Assessment Phase I (ESA I)
INFORMATION: A thorough investigation is conducted from historical documents about what the property was used for and adjacent to. If activities involving hazardous chemicals are identified, the property is flagged for a Recognized Environmental Condition (REC). Terracon identified a former gasoline filling station and dry-cleaning company in the vicinity of the property. State records indicate contamination below the action level in monitored wells near the property. Terracon has recommended a Limited Site Investigation that includes boring holes for testing the soil and ground water. The LSI is scheduled to take place in May.
STATUS: Completed
VENDOR: Terracon
COST: $3,100 Hotel, $2,700 Restaurant
ACTIVITY: Limited Site Investigation (LSI)
INFORMATION: Per Terracon’s recommendation, an LSI will be completed to determine the contamination level on the hotel and restaurant property. Knowing contamination levels creates a baseline to compare against if contamination is found in the future.
STATUS: Active
VENDOR: Terracon
COST: $8,600
Physical Inspections
ACTIVITY: Asbestos & Lead Based Paint Testing (LBP)
INFORMATION: Asbestos – The presence of Asbestos Containing Material (ACM) impacts renovation costs. The hotel tested positive for ACM in the elevator floors. The restaurant tested positive for in the drywall compound used on the walls. All identified ACM will require remediation prior to renovation.
LBP – The hotel was constructed in 1977. LBP was banned for non-industrial applications in 1978. LBP remediation impacts renovation cost. The Hotel tested negative for LBP. The Denny’s restaurant was constructed in 1978 and is exempt from the testing requirements.
STATUS: Complete
VENDOR: Apex Environmental
COST: $7,032.80
NOTE: This testing is not a substitute for the LBP Risk Assessment required by the HUD Tier I Environmental Review
ACTIVITY: Indoor Air Quality Testing (IAQ)
INFORMATION: IAQ tests for mold spores in the air. Positive results indicate the presence of microbial growth in the vicinity of the test location. Positive results show elevated mold spore counts in the east wing of the 1st floor. We expect to find a small amount of microbial growth in this area. The Denny’s restaurant is visibly contaminated with microbial growth that will require remediation.
STATUS: Complete
VENDOR: Apex Environmental
COST: $3,450.10
ACTIVITY: Property Condition Assessment (PCA) with Condition Needs Assessment (CNA)
INFORMATION: Inspection of the site and building to determine the status of existing conditions with budgeting/reserves estimates. The PCA advised of repairs exceeding $1.5M over a 10-year period. The restaurant is in very poor condition. The PCA is not an accurate reflection of renovations that would be required.
STATUS: Complete
VENDOR: Terracon
COST: $11,600 Hotel, $8,300 Restaurant: This includes the ADA Assessment.
ACTIVITY: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Assessment
INFORMATION: The hotel and restaurant were constructed prior to the implementation of the ADA requirements. The change of use would prompt full compliance to current code. Minimum ADA upgrades were estimated at $600K for the hotel & restaurant combined.
STATUS: Complete
VENDOR: Terracon
COST: Included in the PCA costs
INFORMATION: The HUD Tier I ER requires radon testing with the application.
STATUS: Active
VENDOR: Midwest Radon
COST: $3,365
Property & Title Review
ACTIVITY: ALTA Survey
INFORMATION: The ALTA (American Land Title Association) survey identifies the property lines and shows all registered easements and encroachments on the title.
STATUS: Complete
VENDOR: Phelps Engineering
COST: $14,238
ACTIVITY: Platting
INFORMATION: Currently the LaQuinta Hotel and Denny’s Restaurant are included in the same property and the lots were never platted. Change of use would require an update on the parcel and each property should be platted individually. The pre-platting application with Lenexa will run in tandem to the SUP submittal. After the acquisition is complete, the final plat will be filed with Lenexa.
STATUS: Active
VENDOR: Phelps Engineering
COST: $13,944
ACTIVITY: Appraisal
INFORMATION: The private appraisal provides an assessment of the current value of the hotel and restaurant.
STATUS: Complete
VENDOR: Keller, Craig & Associates, LLC
COST: $5,000
ACTIVITY: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Assessment
INFORMATION: The hotel and restaurant were constructed prior to the implementation of the ADA requirements. The change of use would prompt full compliance to current code. Minimum ADA upgrades were estimated at $600K for the hotel & restaurant combined.
STATUS: Complete
VENDOR: Terracon
COST: Included in the PCA costs
INFORMATION: The HUD Tier I ER requires radon testing with the application.
STATUS: Active
VENDOR: Midwest Radon
COST: $3,365
Additional Reports
ACTIVITY: Special Use Permit (SUP)
INFORMATION: The hotel and restaurant are changing from their current use to a homeless shelter. The change of use mandates the authority having jurisdiction (AHJ. City of Lenexa) approve the new use of the property. Full compliance with building codes and ADA requirements must be updated for approval and a development plan is required. A Design Team has been contracted to complete the process in the interest of the owner.
STATUS: Active – SUP submittal expected on July 1 with an August 26th AHJ approval
VENDOR: SFS Architecture
COST: $103,000
ACTIVITY: Construction Estimating Services
INFORMATION: The change of use requires fill compliance with current building code and ADA requirements. To assist in determining this cost for the SUP, a contractor was secured to complete estimating services or pre-construction services.
STATUS: Active
VENDOR: Haren Companies
COST: $6,000
ACTIVITY: HUD Tier I Environmental Review (HUD ER)
INFORMATION: The HUD environmental review is a process for investigating a site when HUD grant funds may be used. The presiding jurisdiction (PJ. PLN Housing) would issue grant funding for activities at the site. The ER includes flood plain verification, noise conditions, LBP, Asbestos, Native American Tribal Rights, and Historical significance.
STATUS: Active
VENDOR: Terracon
COST: $5,000 Hotel, $5,000 Restaurant
ACTIVITY: Noise Mitigation Plan
INFORMATION: As part of the ER, noise levels are estimated based on surround conditions like proximity to railways, shipping, roads, etc. The site must be below predetermined conditions for approval. The hotel and restaurant exceeded the noise level for the use of HUD funds. A noise mitigation plan is required to reduce the noise conditions on the site.
STATUS: Active
VENDOR: Terracon
COST: $2,800
ACTIVITY: LBP Risk Assessment
INFORMATION: The HUD Tier I ER requires an LBP Risk Assessment with the application. The hotel was constructed in 1977 before LBP was banned for use in buildings 1978. The restaurant was constructed in 1978 and is exempt from this requirement.
STATUS: Pending
VENDOR: Pending
COST: Pending