A much-contested multifamily housing development near Woodland Road and K-10 at Olathe’s border with Lenexa is moving forward.
Last week, the Olathe Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the Woodland Forest multifamily housing project’s preliminary site development plan.
That comes with a series of recommendations to further reduce the proposed unit density, improve tree preservation and lower building heights to three stories unless otherwise waived for odd topography on the site.
Woodland Forest has gone through various iterations
- In December 2021, the multifamily housing portion of the overall Woodland Forest project was remanded back to the planning commission after an extended back and forth and neighbors’ opposition.
- Before that, a single mixed-use proposal for the site was first submitted in 2020 by Clay Blair’s Prime Development Land Company, LLC, but did not advance.
- In 2021, one element of the Woodland Forest project that had single-family housing and senior living plans was authorized by the Olathe City Council.
- A third leg of the project that would have brought a commercial building as well was withdrawn by the developer after the planning commission recommended its denial.
Neighbors worry it doesn’t conform to Woodland Corridor Plan
- The entirety of the Woodland Forest project falls within the last undeveloped property in the Woodland Corridor Plan, a set of development guidelines drafted for this area when it was annexed into the city in the 1990s.
- The corridor plan suggests this area should be developed exclusively as a conventional neighborhood or as recreation space.
- It also sets rules for how densely packed in housing units can be, maximum building height and tree preservation quotas, all working toward preserving the character of the area.
Planning commissioners are still concerned about density
- The new developer, Lenexa-based Oddo Development, has proposed 37 fewer units than what was called for in the 2021 plan, envisioning 344 luxury apartment units spread across 10 buildings.
- That’s still too many, per the Woodland Corridor Plan and zoning requested for the site.
- Kim Hollingsworth, an Olathe city planner, said the plan would need to lose at least 13 more units to be in compliance.
- Some planning commissioners indicated a desire to see even fewer apartments than that, possibly capping the total number at 150, or three dwelling units per acre.
Olathe also wants to see more tree preservation
- Additionally, Woodland Corridor rules call for 100% of the existing trees to be preserved in a development. This project, as designed, plans for just 47%.
- City staff said full preservation would not be possible, as some trees would need to be removed to make room for adequate stormwater detention but wanted to see the ratio of preserved trees increased.
- That, and a note about keeping buildings to no more than three stories unless otherwise allowed were included in the planning body’s recommendation to the city council.
- A waiver could be applied to the height requirements, chief development officer Aimee Nassif said, given the odd topography on the site. That would be decided later.
Woodland Forest apartments will return to the city council
- The revised preliminary site development plan, including the planning commission’s recommendations, will return to the council as part of its March 21 regular meeting agenda.
- At that time, the development plans and the attached rezoning request will be discussed and likely voted on.
Keep reading: Olathe approves 1 rezoning request for controversial development near Lenexa, rejects 2 others
