Lee's Summit council approves Hazel Grove school site purchase and waives CID payment

The Lee's Summit City Council voted 6-0 to approve the Lee's Summit R-7 School District's purchase of roughly 28.6 acres at Northwest Blue Parkway for a new Hazel Grove Elementary and to waive a contractual payment required under the site's redevelopment agreement.

School officials told the council the site — about 27.5 acres — would allow a modern elementary campus with space for vehicle stacking (about 75 parking spaces) and separate bus loops. "This will bring Hazel Grove into the city limits," said Steve Shelton, associate superintendent of operations for the district, describing the site's capacity and traffic circulation improvements.

The waiver request grew out of an existing redevelopment and CID (Community Improvement District) structure that was put in place to reimburse the city for construction of Blue Parkway and related infrastructure. David Bushek, the city's economic development counsel, said the city is currently owed roughly $6.14 million in outstanding reimbursements and interest tied to those improvements and that the school district asked the council to waive the payment that would otherwise be due from a tax-exempt purchaser.

"The district is requesting a full and complete waiver in perpetuity as only applied to the district and its successors in or assigns," said Casey Crawford, legal counsel for the school district, summarizing the legal request and its limited scope.

Council members framed the vote as a partnership decision. Council member Raider said the project aligned with long-term street and access improvements the city sought in the area, and Council member Tim Lopez described the move as consistent with the council's collaborative approach to long-term planning. The motion to approve the sale and the waiver was made by Council member Shields and seconded by Mayor Pro Tem Tim Lopez; the motion passed by roll call, 6-0.

The city’s presentation acknowledged uncertainty about the precise dollar amount that would have been collected if the land developed as taxable property, saying the county would value tax-exempt property and the city would calculate the hypothetical taxes; staff said no precise figure was available at the meeting. City economic development staff also noted that if Discovery Park and surrounding commercial areas develop as projected over decades, the city could recapture significant revenue from CID revenues, but variables such as interest and timing make net outcomes uncertain.

Next steps: Council approved the motion on the floor, and staff will finalize the sale paperwork and the waiver as directed by the council. The district said it will coordinate infrastructure access that also benefits adjacent park plans.