In May 2015, ULI (Urban Land Institute - Kansas City) conducted a TAP (Technical Assistance Panel) at the request of the City.
- To learn more about ULI-KC, visit their website by clicking this link.
- To learn more about the TAP program offered by ULI, visit ULI-KC's dedicated webpage by clicking this link.
- To read the follow-up 2021 TAP, visit that page via the link in the menu bar to the left of this page or click this link.
From the 2015 TAP report:
Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) provide strategic advice to sponsors on complex land use and real estate development issues. The TAPs program links local public agencies and nonprofit organizations to the expert knowledge and experience of our ULI members. TAPs typically conduct an intense, one day session to evaluate a specific site. The TAP will involve a discussion of potential alternatives along with specific recommendations and presentation to the public.
The City commissioned this initial ULI TAP for the following purpose:
With new development opportunities coming to the city, the City of Westwood expressed a need to complete a land use plan to articulate strategies for utilizing available land. The TAP considered five sites: Dennis Park, 5050 Rainbow Blvd. (Westwood Christian Church), Westwood View Elementary School, the Entercom property, and Westwood City Hall.
Panel recommendations from the 2015 TAP report:
After listening to issues and concerns from the stakeholders, the panel discussed recommendations for the various sites. Summarizing the input from the stakeholders, the main issues the panel took into consideration were:
- The elementary school is a vital part of the neighborhood, but has facility challenges.
- Dennis Park, while well loved by all, is in need of updating to be ADA compliant, a redesign for better use of the tennis court/ice rink, more field space, and may not be located in the safest location due to the adjacent busy road.
- With the loss of Sprint’s property tax, there is a need for intelligent planning to increase the sales and property tax base.
The panel agreed that the best way to help the community create certainty about their identity would be to establish an overall goal to attract more young families and to keep this in mind when creating alternatives for the community.
The full final report is available via the link to the supporting document below.