Residents of the Valentine Neighborhood will hold a memorial service on Monday, Oct. 28, at 5:30 p.m. for the 23 buildings being demolished in their neighborhood. The memorial service expresses our disappointment that these nearly two dozen homes have been demolished, especially given Kansas City’s housing shortage. After brief remarks, we’ll walk around the block where much of the demolition is currently underway.
Memorial Service
What: Memorial Service for Valentine homes
When: 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28
Where: 3400 block of Pennsylvania
NOTE: Please stay on the sidewalk and don’t block traffic
The Kansas City Life Insurance Company recently notified the neighborhood that it planned to demolish 23 properties between 33rd to 35th Street from Southwest Trafficway to Pennsylvania for redevelopment. (Note: Browne’s Irish Market, the oldest Irish-owned business outside of Ireland, is within this area but is not owned by Kansas City Life and is not threatened with demolition.)
Valentine responded that it has always opposed demolishing homes without a replacement plan. The neighborhood invited Kansas City Life to a meeting to discuss the demolitions and its plans for the future, but Kansas City Life declined to attend and did not share any plans. Demolition of the homes began on Oct. 23 and is continuing.
The Valentine Neighborhood Association was formed in 1971 when the Penn Valley Plaza Redevelopment Company, which included Kansas City Life, proposed a 19-acre redevelopment project from Summit to Pennsylvania between W. 33rd Street and Valentine Road. Homeowners said they did not want to leave their homes. The project was abandoned after a protracted fight that spilled over into city hall.
However, the demolition of homes in the Valentine neighborhood continues today. In 1909, there were 68 homes in the four-block area between 33rd and 35th Streets from Southwest Trafficway to Pennsylvania. By last week, only 32 buildings remained. Just a handful of properties will remain when the current demolition of this area is complete. Many of the lots in the area have been vacant for years, and the neighborhood is concerned that they will remain vacant as there is no plan for the future.
At the memorial service, the neighborhood will express the following concerns:
· As recently as a few months ago, many of these 23 properties provided homes for our neighbors and friends, offered affordable housing, and contributed to the neighborhood’s health.
· Vacant properties are a safety and a financial concern to our neighborhood.
· Kansas City Life owns other properties in the Valentine neighborhood, and we are concerned the company could continue to remove homes from our neighborhood.