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Community groups say they're doing what they can to block the sale of an industrial warehouse in south Kansas City to be used as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.
Decarcerate KC is calling on Platform Ventures, an investment firm that owns the warehouse, to "morally and ethically withdraw from the sale."
Jalisa Davis, an organizer with Decarcerate KC, said she and other activist groups have tried to contact Platform Ventures' leadership.
"The majority of the inquiries go to their message line; however, we're not going to lose hope," Davis said. "We're not going to let that stop us. The more people that know, the more people can stand in and help us with that."
Decarcerate KC is a grassroots organization that aims to "create change around issues of incarceration and policing in Kansas City" by focusing on "true accountability" by replacing systems of incarceration with ones "rooted in care, restoration, and transformation."
"We are here for the people, and so we want to make sure we're supporting our neighbors where and when we can," Davis said.
KSHB 41 learned more about the 920,000-square-foot warehouse at 14901 Botts Road through records requests and public records.
It is zoned for manufacturing, and anyone wanting to use it for a detention center would need to apply for a special use permit.
The Kansas City, Missouri, Planning and Development office would have to hold a public hearing before deciding whether to approve it.
One of the approval criteria includes whether it is "in the interest of the public convenience and will not have a significant adverse impact on the general welfare of the neighborhood or community."
However, Platform Ventures has not yet sold the property.
KSHB 41 has recently reached out to Platform Ventures multiple times, and no one has responded.
In a statement it previously sent us when KSHB 41 first broke the news of a potential ICE detention center two weeks ago, Platform Ventures said, "PV does not question prospective buyers on their intent after close, and we will not engage in public conversations involving speculation over future uses."
PV also said that it received an unsolicited offer in October to buy the warehouse.
Following that October offer, KCMO records show an engineering firm requested a Zoning Compliance Letter from the city regarding the property.
Partner Engineering and Science, Inc. sent the request in November.
According to records obtained by KSHB 41 News, the request stated that Partner ESI "has been engaged by our client to conduct due diligence research and prepare a Zoning Report on the above-mentioned property."
Zoning Assistant for Partner ESI Tonian Morgan wrote, "Our client has asked that we gather this information as quickly as possible."
Requests for Zoning Compliance Letters are typically sent to the city to find out whether a "proposed use or business is allowed by a property's current zoning," according to the city's website.
The City's Planning and Development Office then replies with a letter that contains the following:
- Zoning district and permitted land use(s)
- Zoning overlay districts, special character districts, and/or national and local historic preservation districts
- Active zoning violations
- Active building code violations
An ICE media spokesperson sent KSHB 41 a statement this week, again reiterating that the agency has "no new detention centers to announce at this time."
Port KC announced its plan to dissolve its agreement with Platform Ventures after learning of the intent to sell the warehouse.
The item was originally scheduled to be addressed at its Jan. 23 virtual public meeting, but it was rescheduled due to tech issues. The new date has not been announced yet.
Port KC's spokesperson has reiterated that it does not own the warehouse; Platform Ventures does.
"We told title to the property like a bank holds title to a vehicle title while the owner pays it off," Meredith Hoenes, former communications director for Port KC, said. "We are dissolving our agreement with Platform Ventures. PV does not need Port KC permission to sell its property."
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