Raytown planning panel approves Evergy permit to expand electrical substation

The Raytown Planning and Zoning Commission on Dec. 5, 2024, voted 8-0 to conditionally approve Evergy’s request for a conditional-use permit to expand an existing electrical substation at the southeast corner of East 50 Ninth Street and Woodson Road.

City planning staff recommended approval with conditions that include recording a five‑foot ADA sidewalk easement with Jackson County, submission and city approval of a stormwater study and management plan before construction, ongoing maintenance of required landscaping, a minimum eight‑foot solid screening wall or equivalent (the applicant proposes a nine‑foot solid wall), and a photometric lighting plan demonstrating 0 foot‑candles at property lines.

Shana Kelly, city planning staff, told commissioners the property is zoned R‑1 (low‑density residential) and that the municipal code allows substations in residential districts only with a conditional‑use permit. Kelly said the city and applicant chose expansion at the existing site because it avoids finding a new location and re‑routing transmission infrastructure. She summarized the code standards the commission used to evaluate the application and listed the four staff…