Following tense public comments and some back-and-forth between commissioners and the audience, the city of Prairie Village’s zoning code updates are now on hold.
The city has been developing proposed changes to its zoning codes to allow higher-density housing in districts outside of single-family neighborhoods.
However, the intensity during the public comment portion of the Prairie Village Planning Commission meeting on Tuesday was palpable, as speakers at times directed somewhat hostile comments toward city leaders for what they described as the city’s lack of transparency and buy-in from residents on the proposed zoning code updates.
As a result, the planning commission voted 3-2 to table any zoning code updates for the time being. Commissioners Greg Wolf, the commission’s chair, and Jeffrey Valentino were absent.
This move means that city staff will come back to the planning commission at a later date to see what the commission wants to see in terms of public input regarding the zoning code updates city staff presented on Tuesday.
Several public commenters who spoke in opposition to the zoning code changes are representatives of Stop Rezoning Prairie Village, or PV United. That grassroots organization has rallied residents for the past two years to oppose the city’s housing recommendations, which initially included exploring potential changes that would allow denser housing in single-family neighborhoods.
Development and discussion of those housing recommendations are what has ultimately led to the city’s plan to update the zoning codes. (Read more about the divisive housing recommendations here.)
What changes were proposed?
The proposed zoning code updates derive from the comprehensive plan, a document that cities like Prairie Village develop to guide future land use and development.
Generally, proposed changes to the zoning code include simplifying and establishing standards and definitions for the various zoning districts.
Some specific changes, which city staff presented to the city council in April, include the following:
- Adding language that describes what types of developments the city wants to see in all multifamily and commercial districts
- Clarifying that the city wants to maintain 30% building coverage in the R-3 zoning multifamily district, which reflects existing complexes like Corinth Paddock. (Building coverage defines how much square footage of an area is covered by a building.)
- Allowing residential uses above or adjacent to commercial properties in most commercial districts, to be called “residential mixed-use”
City staff’s overview of the specific changes can be watched online here, starting at 43:59.
‘Residents didn’t ask for this’
Prairie Villagers packed the council chambers to call on the planning commission to table the proposed zoning code updates in multifamily, commercial and mixed-use districts.
The hour-long, largely tense public comment period was centered around concerns that “residents didn’t ask for this” and that nobody wants higher density in Prairie Village, said Prairie Village resident Pam Justus. Oftentimes, the crowd clapped in support of public commenters. No public commenters spoke in support of the zoning code updates.
These are similar sentiments to that of the city council’s public comment periods from summer 2022 to fall 2023, brought on by Stop Rezoning PV. That group’s original hiccup with the housing recommendations was the inclusion of single-family neighborhoods, which were excluded from proposed changes Tuesday night.
Justus said she thinks the process to update the city’s zoning codes has been rushed and that there was a lack of transparency. Justus said that if the goal is to maintain the city’s integrity and better the community, then the zoning code needs to be left alone.
“Residents didn’t ask for this,” Justus said.
Additionally, most of the public commenters said they were upset because the planning commission only hosted one public hearing for the zoning code updates. However, some commissioners like Jim Breneman and Melissa Brown questioned the calls for additional public comment.
Breneman said he was “a little bit surprised” by the crowd’s reaction given the several planning commission discussions since August 2023 and the public input sessions about the zoning code updates last summer.
‘Come back with a better attitude’
Discussion among the planning commission mostly centered on responding to public comments. For example, Commissioner Brown said that as an architect, she sees a lot of the zoning code updates as “common sense clean up.”
Still, Brown said that with the cost of development and construction right now, the city’s aging and vacant properties will sit deteriorating if the city does “not allow for incremental increases in density.”
Ultimately, with public comments growing hostile into the evening, the majority of commissioners agreed to table making changes until the city could potentially carve out more time for public input opportunities.
“I’ve sat here, I’ve endured personal attacks, the city staff has endured personal attacks, and I’m still going to continue to show up because I believe that Prairie Village is worth keeping the character and the beauty that was the original intent,” Brown said.
Later on, Brown said that in her nine years on planning commission, Tuesday night was the second time that, had the meeting ended after the public hearing, she “would have felt unsafe” walking to her car.
At one point, when Commissioner Jon Birkel said the city is working to maintain the character of Prairie Village, the crowd frequently interjected with yells of “we don’t want density” and “get a new mayor.” When he then agreed with the suggestion to put the zoning code updates on hold, the crowd burst into applause.
“I’d like people to come back with a better attitude and be a little more cordial, because this was not the best, and you’re better than that,” Birkel said to the crowd.
After the crowd left, Councilmember Terry O’Toole, the planning commission liaison, apologized for the crowd’s behavior. He suggested police officers be present the next time the planning commission discusses zoning code updates.
“I didn’t feel threatened, I don’t think anybody in this room felt threatened, but that got out of control,” O’Toole said. “You guys should not have to put up with that, the staff should not have to put up with that. I apologize in advance, I thank you guys for what you’re doing.”
Next steps:
- During the Tuesday meeting, city staff said they needed additional guidance on what type of public feedback the planning commission wants to see.
- The approved motion to table allows city staff to come back to the planning commission in June to discuss what that public feedback looks like.
Keep reading: Prairie Village’s housing recommendations have split the city — How did we get here?
