Whittaker Homes, the successful developer of New Town

Whittaker Homes, the successful developer of New Town at St. Charles, Missouri, is stalled in efforts to build a similar, even larger development in the city of Liberty, near Kansas City, according to a report in The Kansas City Star. The holdup for New Town at Liberty involves the US Army Corps of Engineers Section 404 permit, which is needed before negotiations can be completed with the city and Missouri State Department of Transportation. “Here we are, wanting to put in a $2 billion project, one of the biggest in Kansas City, and it’s sitting on someone’s desk,” developer Greg Whittaker told the newspaper. “We’d like someone to rule on it so we can move forward.” The 1,000-acre site could include 7,000 to 11,000 housing units. Section 404 permits are required when developments are proposed on or near “waters of the United States,” the Star reports. The term can include everything from a large river to a stream or wetland. Whittaker, whose firm has developed many projects and filed for other Section 404 permits, says he has never experienced the delay that he is running into now. After the permit is completed, Whittaker estimates it would take a year and a half for New Town at Liberty to break ground.