Tomorrow night, I’m going to attend my 30th High School Reunion, I know, I know, I’m getting up there. But one thing I have observed about my high school class has a bearing on an issue that we will all be faced with on November’s election ballot.
On November’s election ballot we will be asked if the city should be allowed to annex additional land along the south side of U.S. 50 east of the city. Clearly, Lake Lotawanna wants to annex the same land, but Lee’s Summit has challenged their rights to it in court.
I attended Raytown South some 30 years ago. At the time Raytown was considerably larger in population than its southeastern neighbor, and the tales we have heard about Lee’s Summit being a small town, were really true. But even then Lee’s Summit was growing quickly, just as Raytown’s population stagnated.
Raytown stagnated in population growth because year’s earlier Raytown and Kansas City got into another annexation tussle that Kansas City won and Raytown lost. That tussle effectively landlocked Raytown as it was completely surrounded by Kansas City.
When I was growing up, Raytown had practically no crime, a top notch school district, and was one of the most affluent cities on the Missouri side of the state line, ring any bells…
But with no place to grow, Raytown’s children, had to look elsewhere to start their family’s lives.
Ever since, Lee’s Summit has provided, Raytown’s children, with new homes, subdivisions, and schools that weren’t too far removed from our parents and friends in Raytown. Lee’s Summit became the most popular destination amongst Raytown’s children to start their family’s lives.
But what would have happened if Raytown had won the annexation tussle with Kansas City to annex the land east of Raytown those years ago, no doubt Raytown and the Little Blue Valley would look considerably different, and there is a good chance so would Lee’s Summit.
If given an opportunity to stay in Raytown, and live in the same environment that I grew up in, but with new homes, subdivisions, and schools, would I have moved all the way out to Lee’s Summit, probably not. And I don’t think I would have been alone in that decision.
Now, if trends continue and Lee’s Summit allows its neighbors, Lake Lotawanna and Blue Springs on the east, Greenwood and Raymore on the south, to land lock the community, and then in the not so distant future Lee’s Summit may find itself in the same condition as Raytown. In the future, the children of Lee’s Summit may be looking to Lone Jack or Pleasant Hill for new homes, subdivisions, and schools instead of staying in and improving Lee’s Summit.
Lee’s Summit has a lot of what looks like buildable land tied up in parks as well as land owned by Church interests. That land, is not for sale, and cannot be developed. Therefore we need to look for additional land to annex if our children are going to continue the lifestyle we currently have in Lee’s Summit. November’s Annexation issue is critical to keep Lee’s Summit growing, if not for us, then for our children.
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I know I complain that the neighborhood squirrels have decided to have a major party in the pin oak tree in my front yard, leaving discarded leaves, acorn shells and squirrel poop throughout my front yard, but at least I don't have pot holes like this:
