Final plans for the first phase of a multifamily residential development off Kansas Highway 7 has received unanimous approval from Lenexa City Council.
On Tuesday, the city council voted 8-0 to approve phase 1 of the Reserve at Copper Creek, a project that will ultimately include more than 500 apartments spread across 15 buildings, near 89th Street and Woodsonia Drive, just east of K-7.
The first phase will include 289 units in eight buildings, as well as the construction of a clubhouse and pool amenities.
The item was part of the city council’s consent agenda, which means it wasn’t individually discussed and was approved with no discussion.
The project is located just west of Black Hoof Park
The entire project is planned for about 27 acres of undeveloped land located at the northwest corner of 89th Street and Woodsonia Drive, situated between K-7 and Black Hoof Park.
Kansas City-based Oak IQ is the developer, the owner of the project is Copper Creek Investors LLC and the applicant for phase 1 is Doug Ubben of Olathe-based Phelps Engineering.
The project is broken up into two phases.
The first phase comprises development on the north end of the property and uses a contemporary style of architecture. The second phase on the south end will comprise a development with a more traditional style.
The residential development will feature a mix of planned densities ranging from medium- to high-rise high density. That density will increase as the property gets closer to K-7 on the western side of the project.
Woodsonia Road must be built out before anyone can move in
The city council’s approval of the plan comes with requirements.
The final plan includes a condition that all of Woodsonia Drive from 83rd Street to Prairie Star Parkway be complete and open for public use prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy for any building in the development.
That road work will be done concurrent with phase 1 construction.
At the city council’s discussion for the project in March, that condition was one of the main focuses.
“The project can’t start without Woodsonia being approved and kicking off, as well,” said Tim Collins, engineering and construction services administrator for the city. “So that way, again, we have an assurance that they will be moving forward at minimum together, if not with Woodsonia a little bit before.”
The road is expected to take about one year to complete, Ubben said at the city council meeting in March.
Other stipulations include a more robust landscape buffer along Woodsonia Drive and a requirement that the developer include a statement in the apartment leases that informs the tenants of the development’s proximity to the Powder Creek shooting range and that noise of gunfire from the range will be heard.
The project came with some pushback
While phase 1 of the project received unanimous approval, the road to get to this point has not been without detractors.
Through the years at past city council meetings, residents in nearby neighborhoods have rallied against the project because of concerns about its density and the increased traffic it could create.
“It’s going to be a jam there, and it’s not going to be the pretty, natural resources that Lenexa has out there anymore. It’s going to be chaos out there,” said Dave Komar, a resident in WaterCrest Landing, at a meeting in 2021.
During the city council’s vote in March, Councilmember Bill Nicks voiced his dissent for the project and voted against it.
“I still think it’s too dense and I don’t plan to support it,” he said. Nicks voted yes to the final plan as part of the consent agenda on Tuesday.
What’s next for the project
Construction for the entire project is expected to take about two years.
Go deeper: Lenexa site off K-7, eyed for development for years, will now see 500+ apartments
