School kids who walk to their local orchard in Pendleton Heights to pick pears, figs and pawpaws could soon see the community garden get paved over with a fresh parking lot.
The orchard fills an entire lot off Independence Avenue and Maple Boulevard, near Kansas City University, and sits on the Maple Flats apartment complex’s property. It was started around 2018 as a partnership between local service organizations Jerusalem Farm and The Giving Grove.
Maple Flats has since gone through multiple owners and is currently owned by Maple Flats KC, a firm tied to New York-based developer North American Value-Add Realty Partners. The owner is now seeking permission from the city to build a 21-space parking lot for Maple Flats residents that would replace the orchard.
The construction would occur in a historic district, so the Historic Preservation Commission has to sign off. The commission voted to delay deciding on the case at its September meeting to allow time to consider alternatives and collect more information…