October 6, 2026
Brenda Younger, City Clerk City of Topeka 215 SE 7th Street, Room 166 Topeka, Kansas 66603
Re: Formal complaint and demand for inspection — vegetation and debris, SW Gage Boulevard, Arrowhead Plaza Sub, Parcel 1451504014037000 (QuickRef R59591)
Dear Ms. Younger:
This is a formal complaint. File it, and refer it today to the Property Maintenance Unit for inspection and enforcement. The vacant tract below is in violation. Weeds, brush, sticks, limbs, and accumulated leaves stand along SW Gage Boulevard and the property edges. Neighbors have complained. The condition is visible from the public street. It is not being maintained.
Owner of record: Anderson Family Trust Mailing address: 5050 SW Topeka Boulevard, Topeka, Kansas 66609 Site: SW Gage Boulevard, Topeka, Kansas 66614 Subdivision: Arrowhead Plaza Sub Size: 4.04 acres, no improvements (land use 9010, farming / ranch land) Parcel ID: 1451504014037000 · QuickRef R59591 Instrument: 2023R09530 · Tax unit 001
Topeka Municipal Code 8.60.150, which replaces Section 302.4 of the property maintenance code, requires premises to be kept free of vegetation in excess of twelve inches. Vegetation includes weeds, woody vines, volunteer saplings, shrubs, brush, grass, and uncultivated plants. Noxious weeds are prohibited. This tract is undeveloped and exceeds two acres, so subsection (d) still requires the owner to remove or destroy vegetation, other than grass or ground cover, within fifteen feet of any sidewalk, street, or adjacent property line. The sticks, limbs, and leaf accumulation along the frontage are exterior debris and are part of this complaint. The owner of record is responsible. Vacant land is not exempt.
I expect the City Clerk to enter this complaint in the record and forward it immediately to the Property Maintenance Unit, 620 SE Madison, Unit 13, propertymaintenance@topeka.org, (785) 368-3161. The Unit is directed by its own procedure to review a weed complaint within 48 hours. I am asking that it do the following, and that I be told when each step is done:
- Inspect the tract from the public right-of-way within 48 hours. Photograph the street frontage and the fifteen-foot strip along SW Gage Boulevard and every adjoining property line.
- If a violation is confirmed, serve notice the same week on Anderson Family Trust at 5050 SW Topeka Boulevard and require the weeds, brush, sticks, limbs, and leaf accumulation to be cut and removed.
- If the owner does not comply within the time allowed, abate the violation and assess the cost against the owner under TMC 8.60.150(e). Do not let the notice expire without action.
A commercial-frontage tract left in this condition is unfair to every owner who keeps property up. The code is clear. Enforce it. Confirm receipt of this letter, give me the case number, and report the inspection result in writing.
Respectfully,
Henry McClure MCRE, LLC 3625 SW 29th Street, Suite 100 Topeka, Kansas 66614 785-383-9994 mcre13@gmail.com
cc: Property Maintenance Unit, propertymaintenance@topeka.org
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