Juniper Gardens

The State of Kansas chartered the Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority on August 6, 1957. The first five Commissioners included Leonard Childers, Robert DeVero, Oscar Hall, Allen Sever, and Fletcher Speck. Their goal was to establish a low-rent housing development for the community, and they did that through their first family development, Juniper Gardens. The development was built on a 33-acre plot located in Northeast KCK in 1962. A total of 390 units were built in Juniper Gardens at a cost of $6 Million, making it today the oldest and largest public housing development in the State of Kansas.

In August of 1957, the State of Kansas chartered the Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority (KCKHA) with the goal of establishing low-rent housing developments in the Kansas City Kansas area. The first five Commissioners included Leonard Childers, Robert DeVero, Oscar Hall, Allen Sever, and Fletcher Speck. These commissioners helped to establish KCK's first family development known as Juniper Gardens, which was built on a 33-acre plot located in Northeast KCK in 1962. This development started a trend in family developments throughout the community and today, Juniper Gardens is the oldest and largest public housing development in Kansas that still stands.

Juniper Gardens consisted of a total of 390 units and the development cost around $6 Million. Part of what made this project more successful was that senior housing was also being planned for the area, with the first unit opening in 1969, Wyandotte Towers.

In 2021, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) required KCKHA to remove Juniper Gardens from the public housing program as a result of the age and condition of the units, long-term low occupancy as well as environmental concerns. Since this determination, KCKHA has helped residents relocate to other properties that will provide a better quality of life. Despite the closure of this public housing option, the building is not yet slated for demolition and when sold the proceeds will go back into the KCKHA program. Currently, there are plans to redevelop this site to be a more sustainable public housing option, with better access to necessary resources.

Located just down the street from the Juniper Gardens housing development is Juniper Gardens Training Farm. Not only does this 9-acre farm house a refugee training program, but 10 community garden plots, in addition to other plots which graduates of the program can lease. This training farm is working to spread awareness on the importance of urban agriculture and how it benefits the greater community, and regularly provides the area with access to fresh and affordable healthy food through their farmers markets.

About, Kansas City, Kansas Housing Authority. Accessed July 5th 2022. https://www.kckha.org/about/.

For Juniper Gardens Residents, Kansas City, Kansas Housing Authority. February 22nd 2021. Accessed July 5th 2022. https://www.kckha.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/FAQs-For-Juniper-Gardens-Residents.pdf.

Juniper Gardens Training Farm, Cultivate KC. Accessed July 5th 2022. https://www.cultivatekc.org/our-work/our-farms/juniper-gardens-training-farm/.

Juniper Gardens, ULI Kansas City. Accessed June 8th 2022. https://kansascity.uli.org/resources/uli-action/juniper-gardens/.

Technical Assistance Panel Report - Juniper Gardens Redevelopment Site, ULI Kansas City . May 1st 2021. Accessed July 5th 2022. https://ulidigitalmarketing.blob.core.windows.net/ulidcnc/sites/45/2021/05/Juniper-Gardens-TAP-Report.pdf.