St. Joseph council delays parking expansion near Benton High School again
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The St. Joseph city council postponed an ordinance to add 55 parking spaces along Southwest Parkway at the request of the St. Joseph School District for the second time.
The request states the additional parking is needed to accommodate the increased number of students attending Benton High School as part of the district's redistricting process.
The council postponed the ordinance in July because the project need to be reviewed by the traffic commission. During the work session, and the council meeting residents and council members had concerns about the parking spaces.
Council member Marty Novak wanted to know if there are other options that could be considered.
City manager, Mike Mike Schumacher said the council want to work with the school district on this project.
"Make sure every option been explored, and get deeper understanding of their needs," he said.
The council will be meeting with the St. Joseph school district to discuss the parking further.
The council voted on an ordinance approving a development project for Woodson Development Group to renovate the historic property and develop the Woodson Apartments.
The ordinance would allow the city to issue up to $14.5 million in bonds to help finance the project and approve the necessary agreements.
The council also approved to amend the Police Department’s budget to accept the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant for $42,411.00.
The grant funds will be used to buy equipment and software for the Crime Analyst and Crisis Negotiations Unit. In addition, funding will support thermal imaging equipment for the Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office.
Grant funding will help the St. Joseph Police Department purchase crime analysis equipment and software, including a Microsoft Surface Pro laptop, Sentinel Visualizer Professional software and an Epson SureColor 44-inch plotter.
The funding will also support the purchase of crisis negotiation equipment, including a Rescue Phone Video Command System and Rescue Phone Quad Crisis Response Module.
The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office will utilize grant funds for the purchase of two Pulsar Telos XP50, or equivalent, thermal imaging monoculars. The grant provides funding to address identified needs in technology, crime analysis, crisis negotiation capabilities, and officer safety.
The council presented two proposed ordinances related to establishing zoning and development guidelines for potential data center projects in its first reading.
The council is considering a contract with GBA Inc. for up to $42,440 to study data center development and recommend zoning changes and development guidelines.
The review will address issues such as electric and water infrastructure, land use, environmental impacts, public services, costs and community concerns.
The council is also considering a contract with Renew Missouri Advocates for up to $10,750 to provide community outreach and legal services related to data center development.
The firm will also provide recommendations on zoning and potential changes to the city’s code of ordinances.
During public comment, several residents spoke about the proposed ordinances, urging the council to consider how data centers could affect the community.
"You should be looking at worst-case scenarios. You should look at other states and what is happening with their resources in real time," St. Joseph Resident, Veronica Hupp said. "You should look at other cities and counties that have been successful in staving off data centers coming into their town."
Schumacher said the process with that data center development is based off the concerns that residents have.
"That's exactly what we're doing," he said. "That's exactly what the community asked for was this pause for 12 months to get zoning classifications, guardrails if you will kinda of laid out."
The next city council meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct 12 2026 Aug. 3, in the Council Chambers at City Hall.
