Opponents deliver anti-QuikTrip petitions to city hall

Representatives of four neighborhoods presented Council members Jan Marcason and Jim Glover with more than 100 signatures opposing a QuikTrip at 33rd and Southwest Trafficway yesterday. Pictured are: Larry Bowman, Coleman Highlands; Councilman Glover; Susan Kysela, Volker; Kelly Thompson, Roanoke; Chris Jordan, Valentine; and Scott Burnett, Roanoke.

Representatives of four neighborhoods presented council members Jan Marcason and Jim Glover with more than 1000 signatures opposing a QuikTrip at 33rd and Southwest Trafficway yesterday. Pictured are: Larry Bowman, Coleman Highlands; Councilman Glover; Susan Kysela, Volker; Councilwoman Marcason; Kelly Thompson, Roanoke; Chris Jordan, Valentine; and Scott Burnett, Roanoke.

Representatives of the Coleman Highlands, Roanoke, Valentine and Volker neighborhoods  yesterday presented their 4th district council representatives with a petition opposing a plan by Kansas City Life Insurance and QuikTrip to build a QuikTrip at 33rd and Southwest Trafficway.

The neighborhoods have gathered the signatures of 1181 people who say they oppose a QuikTrip at the Southwest Trafficway location. The boards of directors of all four neighborhoods have also voted to oppose the project.

Councilwoman Marcason told the representatives city hall has clearly heard a message from at least 1100 people who are opposed to the plan.

“We have been waiting for infill development in Valentine, but this is probably not the right fit,” she said.

The property is owned by Kansas City Life Insurance, which has been negotiating with QuikTrip to buy and build on the property. QuikTrip has discussed building one of its GEN-3 10-pump gas stations/convenience stores on the site which is now vacant.

The site is just south of Penn Valley Community College. It is within the boundaries of the Valentine neighborhood and the neighborhoods say it would impact residents in Coleman, Roanoke and Volker.  The neighborhoods say this piece of property is extremely important to the surrounding areas because of its potential impact on traffic, its effect on nearby property owners, and its negative potential for future residential and mixed-use development.

“Since we’ve heard about the plans for a QuikTrip at this location, we’ve heard from many residents of these neighborhoods that oppose the store for a number of reasons. They are concerned about increased traffic congestion on Southwest Trafficway and additional traffic on residential streets,” said Larry Bowman, a longtime resident of Coleman Highlands.

In addition, the neighborhoods say the plan does not fit in with the type of land use they would prefer to see in the area.

“We have been working with the city on a new Westport-Plaza area plan, and neighbors have been clear that they want to see residential development in this area of Southwest Trafficway. We believe the introduction of a new heavy commercial use is a step in the wrong direction for the redevelopment of this important part of Midtown,” Valentine treasurer Chris Jordan said.

The petitions say those signing oppose the location of a QuikTrip at 3329 Summit/3320 Jefferson and the sale of the property by Kansas City Life to QuikTrip. The signers urge the city council to assist in stopping this project from moving forward. The neighborhoods have also committed to ensuring QuikTrip does not obtain approval for a liquor license on this site.

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