Northeast News

August 10, 2016

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – East Patrol Commander Joe McHale has had enough.

His patrol division has taken ever-increasing calls for service to abandoned houses filled with squatters, scrappers and petty criminals who turn what were once neatly trimmed yards into lots filled with stolen goods, mountains of trash and unrecyclable material.

“I’ve had it,” said McHale recently as he toured a vacant property in the 100 block of South Topping. “This is why we’re moving quickly on what we’re calling the East-8 project.”

The East-8 project consists of eight properties in the East Patrol division that are targeted for expedited demolition based on their condition and the number of calls for service for that address. Of the eight homes presently on the list, four of those are within the boundaries of Northeast. One is in the Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood in the 3500 block of Independence Avenue, and the other three are in the Indian Mound neighborhood. Interestingly, those properties are only a block apart in the 100 block of both North and South Topping Avenue. The remaining homes on the East 8 list are located in the 2600 block of E. 27th, the 2600 of E. 35th, the 3400 block of Montgall and the 2700 block of E. 35th.

The structure in the 100 block of North Topping has been fast-tracked and should be down within 60 days. The two South Topping homes are presently in the process of being moved to the Land Bank and should be demolished within 90-120 days, said McHale. The same timeline should apply for the four homes on Kansas City’s East side.

“Each time a house is demolished, we’ll add another to the list to take its place,” said McHale.