http://suntrib.com/200906114109/news/ka ... fails.htmlThis sentence can be found half way down the page in this article:
"Rice cited the future plans for the land surrounding Destiny Towers to build a "troubled teen boot camp" facility and a place for unwed mothers as one reason he was opposed to the project."Posting it here for posterity.
Attempt to redirect stimulus fails News - Kansas City Government
Written by Jeff Salem
Thursday, 11 June 2009 00:01
Amendment tries to send $1 million away from Destiny TowersA Kansas City Council member’s attempt to reroute almost $1 million in stimulus funding away from an affordable senior housing project to other neighborhood and infrastructure programs in the Northland was rebuffed by the council last week.
At the June 4 legislative session, Northland Councilwoman Deb Hermann introduced a substitute amendment that would have sent $997,449 in Community Development Block Grant allocations away from Destiny Towers, a proposed 47-unit senior housing development controlled by Harvest Church to other programs that deal more with infrastructure and home repair.
Hermann’s amendment failed by one vote. The original resolution included almost $1 million for Destiny Towers, which will be built at the corner of North Bennington Avenue and Parvin Road, and was passed by the full council.
Hermann’s amendment was discussed at length at the meeting. Hermann argued Destiny Towers was "not a bad project," but the money could be better used elsewhere in the Northland. Hermann also said the resolution lacked proper discussion before reaching the council floor.
"The citizens … have gone without needed services," she said. "I felt if we had additional dollars, I would like to fund some of these priorities.
"This is not a bad project. I have not been opposed," she said. "I am opposed to being cut out of the process. I am opposed to not being talked to about the priorities in our district."
Keith Nelson, president of North Bennington Neighborhood Association, agreed with Hermann. Nelson said the area was oversaturated with affordable housing projects.
"Here we are a neighborhood, an older blue-collar neighborhood, waiting for funding for infrastructure and sidewalks for a long time," he said. "Our neighborhood seems to be the dumping ground for subsidized multi-family housing."
Councilwoman Sharon Sanders Brooks, chair of the Housing Committee, said Destiny Towers was highly recommended by staff and met the stringent requirements for projects receiving these funds overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
She said she was curious why there was so much opposition to the project.
"This seems to have some other issues and elements to this," Sanders Brooks said.
Harvest Church is a predominantly African-American organization and even though race was never directly discussed at the council meeting, there has been speculation that race relations played a factor in the push to reroute funding away from Destiny Towers.
Nelson and Jim Rice, Northland Neighborhoods executive director, both denied that race played a factor in their opposition to the project.
Nelson said simply Harvest Church had been "a very poor" member of the community, citing a lack of neighborhood involvement.
"That’s absolutely ridiculous that this is a race issue," Nelson said.
Rice cited the future plans for the land surrounding Destiny Towers to build a "troubled teen boot camp" facility and a place for unwed mothers as one reason he was opposed to the project.
"That’s the last thing you want to mix with senior housing," he said.Hermann’s amendment would have redirected a total of $368,449 to Northland Neighborhoods for housing repair services programs and public services in addition to funds for similar organizations.
Rice said he was also opposed to the plan because of the lack of stimulus dollars reaching the Northland. He said now that the Northland has some to spend, it is unwise to throw all of it to one project.
Nelson agreed.
"We don’t have the infrastructure to support (Destiny Towers)," Nelson said. "We have a need for minor home repair in our neighborhood. My point is we have other infrastructure needs here right now."
News Editor Jeffrey M. Salem can be reached at 389-6653 or
[email protected]
