UPDATE: Tuesday, Aug. 16 | Overland Park City Council voted 9-3 to send the proposal back to the Planning Commission.
The Mayor says this will allow the Planning Commission to work with the developer and the neighborhood to address concerns.
The City Council would then take up a new proposal if the Planning Commission sends it back to them.
The earliest the Planning Commission would consider it again would be in October.
ORIGINAL STORY: Monday, Aug. 15 | City council members in Overland Park, Kansas, will vote Monday night whether to approve plans for a mix of commercial and residential development at the southwest corner of 135th Street and Antioch Road.
A now-closed nursery occupies the 17-acre site. Ryan Companies is asking the city to rezone the land and allow it to build a 446-unit apartment complex and four commercial pads for drive-through restaurants, a bank and other uses.
The apartment complex would consist of four buildings. One would be five stories tall, the other three would each be four stories tall. Apartment amenities include a pool, dog park, grilling area and more.
Ryan Companies said the commercial pads and the tallest apartment building are strategically placed on the north end of the site plan, far away from residential neighborhoods to the south.
“We really focused on that aspect of the plan, but really the selling point for us on this site specifically was we love the aspect of walkability and how it encourages residents to be able to connect with businesses that surround us,” explained Branden Brensing, vice president of real estate development for Ryan Companies.
The three other corners of the intersection have commercial uses.
Groups of neighbors have organized in opposition to the plan. Many signs reading “stop high density apartments” line Antioch Road. The Nottingham Forest South Homes Association retained an attorney to help represent it throughout the process.
Curt Tideman, of Lathrop GPM, said his client’s main concerns are about density. He said having 446 apartment units on this site would negatively impact the character of the neighborhood and lead to unsafe traffic in the area.
In particular, nearby residents worry about the intersection of 137th Street and Antioch Road. The Blue Valley Recreation Complex, a series of baseball and softball fields, is directly south of the site on 137th Street. Before and after games, the road is often backed up, particularly at the intersection with Antioch.
“Just imagine cars resulting from 446 [apartment] units right there at 137th and Antioch, it’s only going to make [traffic] worse,” explained Tideman.
Ryan Companies conducted two traffic studies, one of which takes into account baseball traffic. The city planner says Overland Park doesn’t design roads for surge or seasonal traffic caused by venues like a youth baseball complex.
The plan now calls for expanding 137th Street to four lanes, dedicating one eastbound lane for right turn traffic and one eastbound lane for left turn traffic. There would also be a new right turn lane for traffic heading south on Antioch and turning west on 137th Street.
“Instead of it being a two lane road that exists today, 137th Street will be a four lane road when it's complete,” Brensing said. “And I do want to reiterate that Ryan Companies is financially assisting in that right turn lane [from 137th to Antioch]. It's not something that we're required to do, but it's how we're going above and beyond to be a good neighbor.”
Tideman argues Ryan Companies can be a good neighbor by reducing the size of the project, although city code allows for even more density in areas zoned as high-rise apartment districts, which is the zoning Ryan Companies is seeking.
“Ryan Companies is in the business of producing profits and there’s nothing from with profit. However, when profit comes at the expense of the community and the safety of that community, that’s another thing,” Tideman said.
The attorney said he’ll encourage the city council to risk denying this project in hopes a better project for the property comes along later.
The city council meets at city hall at 7:30 Monday night, 8500 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, Kansas. Both the city’s planning commission and the city staff recommend approving this project.
