A small neighborhood of about 50 homes is going forward in the Coffee Creek area in southern Olathe.
The Olathe Planning Commission on Monday voted 8-0 to recommend approval of the rezoning and preliminary plat for the proposed Abbey Valley subdivision near 167th Street and Ridgeview Road. Commissioner Chip Corcoran was absent from the meeting.
Jib Felter, the developer listed as the applicant for Abbey Valley, is married to Olathe City Councilmember LeEtta Felter.
Abbey Valley proposes 51 new homes
- In all, the Abbey Valley neighborhood will include 51 single-family homes, which will go up in one phase of construction.
- The neighborhood will also have a pickleball court toward the center.
- There’s also a stream that cuts through the middle of the planned neighborhood area.
- Plus, the developer expects to preserve the existing tree canopy on the southwest side of the property.
Abbey Valley project fits in Coffee Creek plan
Olathe annexed the 20-acre property in the early 2000s alongside other land in the Coffee Creek area.
Later, this part of the city came under the Coffee Creek Master Plan, which identified ideal density and green space ratios for development in the area. According to city documents, the Abbey Valley project fits the requirements laid out in the master plan.
Since annexation, the property has been used primarily for agriculture, and it maintained the carryover county rural zoning designation. To become a single-family home neighborhood, Olathe will have to approve to shift the land to a residential zoning.
Commissioners discussed Ridgeview traffic improvements
Discussion about the Abbey Valley development was brief before the planning commission — lasting roughly five minutes in all. However, Commissioner Jeffery Creighton did inquire about the timeline for traffic improvements planned on Ridgeview Road.
A stretch of Ridgeview, as it is today, remains unimproved in Olathe’s southern area, meaning the road itself is narrow.
That being said, Olathe has earmarked roughly $3 million in the 2024 capital improvement project plan list to improve Ridgeview north of the Abbey Valley development. Road work will focus on the area between 143rd and 151st streets, adding an additional lane, turn lanes, roundabouts as well as bike lanes and foot paths. (Pg. 199).
Next steps:
- The Abbey Valley rezoning and plat heads to the Olathe City Council.
- The application is scheduled for the Olathe City Council’s March 5 meeting.
- Andrea Fair, city planner, told the planning commission that the timeline on the improvements to Ridgeview is unclear.
More Olathe development news: Olathe OKs 300-home neighborhood in newly annexed corner of city
