Lenexa Planning Commission made a rare move to allow a developer more time to design a massive multifamily development in the city.
On Monday, the commission approved a continuance for the rezoning and preliminary plans for Ross Canyon, a large multifamily development that would be located near 93rd Street between Mill Creek Road and Renner Boulevard. Wichita-based PETRA is the applicant and El Dorado is the project’s architect.
It passed 7-0 with commissioners John Handley and Ben Harber absent. It will now be taken up at the commission’s Nov. 4 meeting.
The reason for the rare move: The commission had questions about the project, but saw potential in it.
“There’s just so much opportunity here that I think that we can make some improvements on to make this the project you guys want, the project that we want at the end of the day,” Commissioner Chris Poss said.
It was presented with multiple zoning requirements
The 44-acre project would comprise 374 apartment and 95 townhomes across seven buildings.
It would be built on undeveloped land that was zoned as agriculture and single-family residential in 2002 for a golf course that was never built. The land would be rezoned to Planned Residential Medium High-Density and Planned Residential High-Density districts.
The buildings would range in size from two to five-story structures. Construction would be broken up into three phases.
The apartment sizes will range from 750 to 1,400 square feet with market-rate rent prices, said Tyler Burks, a representative with PETRA, to the commission.
Ross Canyon would be located near several other multifamily developments, including the upcoming Reflections apartment and office buildings to the east, The Villas of Fairway Woods duplexes to the northwest and Prairie Creek Townhomes to the south, as well as the Canyon Farms Golf Club on the north and west.
The development would also include the construction of new collector and local streets.
Applicant’s designs need work
While Lenexa City Staff recommended the project be approved, it came with reservations.
The two problems city staff had with the project were varying height deviations and the design of the buildings.
“While the staff is supportive of the plan and supportive of the development generally, there are still some things, some details, that are important to work through as this project goes through,” said Dave Dalecky, planner for Lenexa Community Development, during the meeting.
He added: “All the buildings, really, in general, still leave something to be desired from staff’s perspective in terms of the building design.”
The staff had concerns about the monotone use of colors and materials, as well as the varying elevation changes from building to building.
“We are willing to proceed with the project, even though there is this work to be done yet with the building facades,” Dalecky said.
Public had worries about trees
During public comments, Chris Demetroulis, a resident at the nearby Cottonwood Canyon subdivision, said he wanted to see the developer preserve trees on the property to buffer lights from the development.
Demetroulis also clarified that he supported the project, but wanted more discussion.
“Hopefully, the planning committee can look at this and say, ‘Hey, we’re going from a bunch of really nice R-1s over here (and) going to an R-4 and if the trees don’t buffer the noise and all that, you know, sorry about that.’ I just think that that’s not the right discussion,” he said.
Commissioners wanted more work to be done
Mirroring the city staff’s comments, the planning commission was dissatisfied with the building designs.
“Everybody that’s been on this commission knows I don’t typically speak to this, but the aesthetics of this project are less than desirable,” Commissioner Mike Burson said. “The words that I wrote down were ‘Prison-like,’ ‘World War Two barracks.’ Like, I’m not an architect, I’m not trying to be offensive. The buildings … Have a very uniform quality.”
Commissioner Curt Katterhenry concurred: “I too, agree with staff and the previous comment that the architecture needs some work done to it to bring it up a little nicer (with a) little more deviations (to) it.”
While the commission made suggestions for how developers could clarify their plans, Poss said they weren’t trying to design the project.
“One of the first things when I got onto the planning commission, it was drilled into my head, is ‘You do not design projects on the dais,'” he said. “We’re not trying to re-design your project at all, by any stretch of the imagination.”
In response, Burks said he will take the planning commission’s suggestions into account.
“The idea was to obviously do something different, unique, but to also not over-design (it) to then be pulled back and then re-design again,” he said.
The project will be brought back next month
The planning commission rarely continues a hearing on a design, Poss said, but they felt Ross Canyon needs a more realized plan.
“I can’t ever remember a time that I’ve ever even suggested this, but I’m going to suggest it here this evening, is that I think that this needs some more work,” he said. “I think the best path forward for the project would be a continuance to work on it and then come back with something that’s a little more architecturally, kind of what the city staff’s kind of pushing for.”
Other Lenexa housing news: After prior false starts, Lenexa moves on new plan at prominent intersection
