Westwood extends deadline to buy school after voters reject development
WESTWOOD, Kan. — Westwood, Kansas voters rejected an office project in April after filing a lawsuit to force a public vote. Thursday the clock was ticking on what to do next with a deadline looming Friday.
'What do you want your legacy to be 30 years from now?' Lou Wetzel asked City Council during a special meeting.
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Residents filed a lawsuit back in 2023 to to a developer who along Rainbow Boulevard that is now Joe D Dennis Park.
After last month's vote rejecting the project and preserving the current park the city was still on the hook for $2.785 million to the potential developers had planned to convert portions of to a new park.
'We have been put in a very challenging position on a very interesting timeline,' Councilwoman Holly Wimer said.
As Westwood faced a Friday deadline to extend the purchase agreement or walk away a third option was included in meeting materials.
'Option B that would require wiring money tomorrow if there's not already somebody lined up potentially to do that,' resident James Spies said. 'That makes no sense to me.'
'There is no boogeyman buyer,' Mayor David Waters said trying to ease fears of many of the meeting's early speakers.
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Any discussion about extending the agreement, logically includes what goes in the school's place, as Shawnee Mission has already applied for permits to tear it down.
'A clear majority of Westwood residents want to see the Shawnee Mission property used for homes that actually fit our neighborhood,' neighbor Tammy Carter said.
'Westwood is unified in trying to preserve as much green space as possible,' Spies said.
'That's something we tried to address with the previous project. There may still be opportunities with this or there may be opportunities with this to finance the current park that we do have to make some improvements there,' Waters said following the unanimous vote to extend the deadline to November 28, the fourth such extension since the sale was first negotiated.
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