Dorri Partain
Dorri Partain
Managing Editor
During a signing ceremony on Wednesday, July 16, officials from the City of Kansas City and the State of Missouri signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to finalize a partnership to build a multi-million dollar behavioral health facility to expand local services.
This MOU — signed by Mayor Quinton Lucas and City Manager Mario Vasquez — finalized the sale and land assembly by the City and transfer to the State of Missouri and the continued collaboration, investment and activities of this project. Valerie Huhn, state director of Mental Health and Caroline Coulter, deputy director of the Missouri Office of Administration were also present to sign this document.
This transfer of land — a 15-acre parcel at the intersection of Independence Boulevard and The Paseo — is just one of many steps involved since this project was announced to the public in August 2024.
At that time, City ordinance #240691 was unanimously approved and directed the City Manager to acquire the land from various owners, including the Housing Authority of Kansas City.
This new state facility will house 200 patients referred by the Department of Mental Health, which will operate the facility in conjunction with University Health. Both providers currently operate facilities in the Hospital Hill area of Kansas City but require additional space to fully care for those with behavioral health needs.
Prior to signing of the MOU, Mayor Lucas addressed attendees gathered at University Health’s board room (2301 Charlotte Ave.) and highlighted the process of working with the State of Missouri to benefit those needing behavioral care.
“When we are talking about this project, it went through a number of different stops and starts,” said Lucas. “We needed legislative action, so thank you to our friends in the Missouri Legislature. Something that was consistent throughout was that we were all committed to recognizing the need.”
“At no point, did we ever depart from knowing that this wasn’t just necessary, but essential to being a city that’s growing and is strong,” he said. “One that invests in behavioral health care, one that has great partnerships with our leading healthcare institution in Kansas City, western Missouri in its entire region — University Health — one that works with our state, and certainly all our localities, not just Kansas City.”
City Manager Vasquez — who recently replaced previous City Manager Brian Platt — acknowledged his staff, who worked on the land acquisition process, noting that it was “a daunting challenge.”
“We were looking for a site the right size, the right location, the right access, all the things that are necessary to make sure we can provide a facility that is accessible to those that have the need,” Vasquez said.
Huhn spoke about her excitement for this long-anticipated facility.
“I am so ready to get shovels into the ground,” she said. “This is the first time in the history of modern mental health (that) the state has built a new facility to increase our capacity to serve more citizens in need of evaluation, treatment and care.”
Huhn also acknowledged working with City staff and the partnership created in the process.
“We have really spent 16 months working through all the different hurdles and challenges, and new and exciting opportunities we didn’t know were going to exist, to get this far.”
President and Chief Executive Officer of University Health Charlie Shields spoke about the need for services and this new facility.
“We talk about the impact this has on Kansas City but this is not just Kansas City. This facility will serve the entire western side of our state,” said Shields.
As the only state unit hospital, Shields explained the academic mission of University Health.
“We train the physicians of the future, the psychiatrists of the future, the nurses, the social workers. So this (new) facility will fill that need too, so we’re not just serving that (behavioral health) population but we’re also providing capacity to those professionals of the future.”
Design and construction of this facility is under the state’s Office of Administration’s division of Facilities Management, Design and Construction. Coulter spoke about that department’s role in this project.
“As the state’s agency responsible for the capital improvements project and management of those projects, our role is to take a project like this and deliver the physical foundation. And today’s signing (of the MOU) is a profound step forward, allowing us to begin that critical work,” said Coulter.
“Our task is to translate that need into physical reality, a responsibility that is going to be led by our expert team … delivering an estimated 300,000 square foot psychiatric hospital right here (in Kansas City). Safety is going to be a fundamental guiding principle during design and construction. Every aspect of this physical structure being developed is going to be developed with three groups in mind: the individuals receiving the needed treatment, the dedicated staff that are going to be providing that care, and the surrounding community. Our commitment, to all of you, is to deliver a secure, modern and effective building designed to provide care for at least 200 Missourians, and hopefully even more.”
The site for this facility is being referred to as “Belvidere Park,” as one parcel of the acreage was once used for City recreational purposes and was vacated by citizen votes in 2019.
Property not included in this transfer outlined in the July 16 MOU is owned by MidAmerican Title Loans at 1414 Independence Ave. During an interview on Friday, July 18, Loan Officer Ebony stated she was not aware of the development slated for the surrounding lots and did not know if the business owners had been approached with offers to purchase the corner lot and building.
Neighbors in surrounding neighborhoods question how this development will affect residents. Pendleton Heights Neighborhood Association President Jonathan Cokely said that they would like to be more informed about this project before construction begins.
”At this time, Pendleton Heights Neighborhood Association does not have enough information to take a stance on the new mental health facility at Belvidere Park,” Cokely stated in an email. “After the extensive Paseo Gateway construction process, our expectation is that the City of Kansas City and University Health will work with the community to ensure that Independence Avenue and the Paseo Gateway remain accessible during the construction process to avoid further disruption to residents. We hope to hear more in the coming weeks about how this project will deliver the proposed benefits to the community, including recruitment of Northeast residents for construction and operation jobs and the provision of new infrastructure and public safety resources that are needed to revitalize Independence Avenue around the facility.”
The only public engagement session concerning this development was held on August 12, 2024 and was coordinated by then-Missouri House of Representatives District 19 Legislator Ingrid Burnett.
Burnett is a resident of the Columbus Park neighborhood and completed her term in January 2025.
“While I am pleased that our state was able to use COVID relief funds to increase essential care for some of our most needy population, I am also disappointed with the lack of regard for the community that will be hosting and providing work force and community goodwill,” Burnett said in a statement via email. “Northeast KC already is under tremendous strain to address the environmental and public health concerns that result from the over representation of unhoused individuals and the service centers that minister to their needs with very little to work with. In order for us to successfully attend to these conditions, we need support for a better system of service delivery, facilities’ property enhancements and safe, walkable transportation routes that would allow Northeast residents to participate in the workforce which we have been promised will come from our residents.”
“Originally, the funding (bill) was sponsored to be appropriated for a facility on Hospital Hill, and the legislators that carried it and then approved the site transfer (to Paseo Gateway) were not elected by or representative of Northeast voters. This bait and switch maneuver with no inclusion of representation from the community was disrespectful.”
No date for groundbreaking has been set at this time. On July 16, Huhn announced a website: kchospitalbuild.mo.gov was created to keep the public informed of this development.
For previous Northeast News coverage of this development, visit:
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