OTTAWA — It’s an urban legend that business owners and developers find working with Ottawa zoning officials more difficult and expensive than other cities, said city planning and codes director Wynndee Lee. After city officials read a Kansas City Star study about the development costs and regulations for cities in the Kansas City area, they asked Lee’s department to do a study comparing Ottawa with those cities. Lee said the study shows that the city compares very favorably with the KC-metro area cities in terms of fees and time. The city has streamlined its procedures for developers and they’re less complicated than they have been in the past, she said. Steve Hasty, who recently built his new Hasty Awards plant at the city industrial park, gives Ottawa high marks for its fees and procedures, she said.
Thursday, March 25, 7:30 a.m.
