Correction: The date for the next signature-gathering event is Saturday, May 6. An earlier version said it was on Friday.
Opponents to Prairie Village’s much-discussed housing recommendations have a new tack: put zoning on November’s ballot.
The group Stop Rezoning Prairie Village held its latest event Wednesday, seeking like-minded residents to sign petitions to put three separate ballot initiatives before voters this fall.
It marks a new stage in the already acrimonious months-long discussion over how best to bring down housing costs in the increasingly expensive suburb.
There are three proposed ballot initiatives
- One of the proposed ballot items aims to limit rezoning changes in single family neighborhoods by keeping the power to build on or alter property largely with individual landowners.
- The other two deal with potential changes to city governance, including cutting the size of Prairie Village’s city council in half and aiming to limit the power of the mayor.
- It’s unclear how many signatures the group has gathered so far or if their proposals have enough support on the city council to garner the votes needed to ultimately approve the items for the ballot.
- One city councilmember says the proposed initiatives are a drastic step by the group that further misrepresents the city’s work and intentions on housing affordability.
Group held signature-gathering event Wednesday
- Over the course of nearly an hour Wednesday evening, dozens of people approached a table in Porter Park where organizers were gathering signatures for the measures.
- Stop Rezoning leaders only allowed a Post reporter to view petition language for one of the measures, but a summary of all three initiatives was available for anyone to see.
- The group would also not let the Post keep copies of any proposed petition language.
- “This is another route to raise awareness to say, ‘Hey, answer the questions,'” Dan Schoepf, a designated Stop Rezoning spokesperson, said. “The reality is if it goes to a vote and I’m against it or if I’m for it and it loses — let the people decide.”
Below is a summary of the group’s three proposed initiatives, which was available Wednesday night and has been emailed to supporters in recent weeks.
Loading...
Reload document 
Open in new tab One councilmember weighs in
- Ward 1 Councilmember Cole Robinson said he has seen only early drafts of the proposed initiatives but does not know what residents are signing because the group has not shared the actual petition language with city staff or the city council.
- He said the petition drive seems like a drastic escalation from opponents’ regular criticism of the housing recommendations at city council meetings.
- “If they feel so strongly about these positions, why can’t we see a copy of what’s being signed?” Robinson said. “That should, alone, tell you what’s going on.”
City council will need to approve the initiatives
- Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman told the Post via email that generally a city’s governing body needs to approve items to go on the ballot.
- The general deadline for a jurisdiction to put an item on the November ballot is Sept. 1, he said.
- There could also be specific deadlines called out in statute for particular items depending on the petitions themselves.
- Sherman said his office may also have to verify signatures before a jurisdiction considers acting on a ballot measure, he said.
What could happen next?
- Stop Rezoning leaders told the Post that they hope to collect 2,000 signatures for the government-related initiatives and 3,000 signatures for the zoning initiative by this summer.
- The plan, then, would be to take the signed petitions to the city council in hopes of getting each initiative on the November ballot.
- There are more signing events from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 6 at Franklin and Porter Parks, according to the group.
Go deeper: Prairie Village council housing priorities include short-term rentals, teardown-rebuilds
