LEE’S SUMMIT, Mo. — The City of Lee’s Summit is getting some backlash about an upcoming construction project.
The city said it’s all about safety and progress but some homeowners being asked to sell a part of their land said the city isn’t offering them enough.
“They want to come in about 80 feet, so all of this green space is going to be gone,” Marlo Knapp, Lee’s Summit Resident said.
Knapp said she moved to her home tucked behind these trees because it was a quiet and safe place to go.
“We have two baby deer, we have turkeys,” Knapp said. “You just have this buffer from the noise and the road.
She fears all of that will go away when a construction project starts in Lee’s Summit.
The city is negotiating with some homeowners to buy their land, so it can widen Chipman Road from View High Drive to Bent Tree Drive.
Riding down the street you can see how narrow the two lane road is. At one point the road narrows down to a one way underneath this bridge.
FOX4 was told this project is primarily a safety improvement.
“I’m not really happy because it’ll increase traffic,” Dawn Brockman, Lee’s Summit Resident said.
Not only are people concerned about their peace and quiet, but they also said the city isn’t offering them market value for their land and isn’t negotiating well.
“They always tell me they’re buying the land, not the house and I understand that, but I just want a fair price for what it is,” Brockman said.
FOX4 talked to the city about some neighbors’ concerns. We’re told employees couldn’t comment because the negotiations are private.
If homeowners don’t agree to a deal, the city can use eminent domain and compensate property owners.
“I thought we were going to be able to negotiate,” said Brockman. “Doesn’t seem like any negotiation is going to happen.”
The city said it is following a process it always follows.
