The first page of this site leaves no doubt the leaders of Westwood government are not opposed to (unconstitutionally) threatening their residents (Kansas City Star - City threatens to sue its own residents). On top of that, through October of 2024 the City incurred legal expenses approaching $100,000 — your tax dollars at work — primarily spent to deny the right of its citizens to vote on the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park (Westwood Violates Law and FWWP Asks for Vote).

For over a year, through the courts, Westwood has tried to push this development past any opposing voice. Ultimately, this right to vote made its way to the Kansas Court of Appeals (KCA). The three KCA justices hearing the case issued a strongly worded, unanimous ruling reversing the District Court's decision that FWWP protest petitions were invalid (Kansas Court of Appeals unanimously rejects Westwood’s argument). This sent the case back to the District Court to be tried again…BUT THIS TIME starting with a full hearing that allowed opponents to the sale (FWWP) to be a party to the trial (the first lawsuit, heard in District Court, was brought by the City of Westwood and structured by the City’s attorney in such a way that no opponents of the sale of the park were allowed to be parties in order to present their case).

With this November 2024 decision from the KCA, the Mayor and City Council backed down from their consistent — and insistent — denials they so vehemently defended these past 18 months. In December 2024, the City has since admitted:

Our City Council could have included this vote in the 2024 ballot at little to no additional expense (link reads – City publicly states law doesn’t allow for vote), but an equally big concern is that until January of this year, Westwood refused to publish a cost study analysis to gather an estimate of how much revenue an office development like this would bring into the city. They continuously denied its residents an opportunity to see the numbers, stating that their analysis was “privileged” information, leading FWWP to think Westwood leaders didn’t even have projections for this undertaking until these past 30-60 days, finally publishing their cost study in January 2025. Even then, in our view, this analysis is flawed. (link reads – FWWP position on financial entanglements).

There is so much to share concerning the distrust FWWP has for Westwood’s Mayor and Council. Below is an attempt to simplify our position with a snapshot of the timeline*:

Should this behavior from your City leaders be of concern to you, we strongly urge you question them on this issue. We are suspect you will receive complete and forthright answers in regard to this topic. We ask you to Vote NO to the sale of Joe D. Dennis Park. Make Westwood City Council start again. There are much better ways to fund our city government, while keeping our green space truly green.  

(click here for a brief timeline of all actions)

The Karbank Real Estate Company and Karbank Holdings L.L.C. are headquartered in Mission Woods. You would like to think they would make for good neighbors. But what they are, understandably, are companies. Companies are in business to make money. And we can’t blame them if they are looking to procure the best deal to maximize their profits.
‍
We can, however, focus on how they apply their imposing skills in order to get what they want.
‍
Karbank’s ambition to enlarge their footprint in Mission Woods has been a continuous and often contentious process of special-use permits, variances, and attempts at rezoning, in order to expand upon what they own. And EXPAND is the operative word, recently adding an additional story to their 1900 & 2000 buildings on Shawnee Mission Pkwy. They were able to elevate this landscape without facing a vote or any real opposition from the City of Mission Woods, even though there were those in the community quite frustrated about not having a voice in the matter.
‍
The same scenario is about to occur with their property at 1957 W 51st Street, where they will add 3 floors of residential space and commercial offices to sit atop their current 2-story parking garage. Their obtrusive addition is not against the law, but it is not the preferred choice of many of the residents in Mission Woods. However, thanks to the significant influence Karbank has with the leaders of Mission Woods, they have been able to lumber through any resistance and apply the use type leverage necessary to attain their targeted outcome.
‍
Should Karbank be allowed to build in Westwood, and you think prospects like these can’t happen, we ask that you think again. Karbank has an open rule book, a zoning from the City entitled Planned Development ("PD"), from which to implement their desires. If they want to build only one building and see how that goes, they can. In the agreements with Westwood, there is no provision which requires Karbank to build out the entire complex all at once, or on any specific timeline. If Karbank does want to build it all at once, but change the dynamic from offices to apartments……or a mini-Crown Center…they can. The zoning application specifically lists mixed type usage allowing for a singular design or combination of office/retail/residential possibilities. Again, the PD zoning classification Karbank has procured from Westwood (similar to what they tried to attain from Mission Woods but fortunately for their citizens, was rejected), allows them to have near ultimate flexibility.
‍
And if the winds of change blow toward any of these alternatives (office/retail/residential), Karbank will do what they need to do in order to achieve their best possible bottom line, without one thought of what it does to Westwood.
‍