A developer plans to bring roughly 150 new residential units to a mostly untouched 115-acre property near 172nd Street and Metcalf Avenue in southern Overland Park, though concerns about flooding and traffic persist.
On Monday, the Overland Park Planning Commission voted 9-0 to recommend approval of the rezoning and preliminary site development plan for the proposed Blackhawk Trail development.
The site in question, 17205 Metcalf Pl., sits just east of U.S. Highway 69. The Blue River, which is known to flood in that area, runs through the tract.
The proximity of the highway and the river make it a “complicated” property, said Judd Claussen from Phelps Engineering, who is working on the project.
Commissioners Radd Way and Rob Krewson were absent from Monday’s meeting.
What’s planned in the Blackhawk Trail neighborhood?
- The plan details 134 duplex units and as many as 17 single-family homes, though the single-family homes are conceptual at this point.
- That requires the rezoning of a rural and mostly undeveloped property for residential uses.
- Additionally, a trail is planned at the western edge of the site, and three ponds will be created in the neighborhood. (Extracted ground material will be used to raise some of the duplexes out of the floodplain.)
- Overland Park will not require major traffic improvements to support the development, but the developer will need to realign and vacate a portion of Metcalf Place.
- Domino Acquisitions LLC is now the landowner, but according to city documents, the Thompson, Cynthia Gill Trust is the official applicant behind Blackhawk Trail.
- A previous iteration of the plan included a partial rezoning to allow for low-density, garden-style apartments, but the applicant has removed that component from the proposal.
Neighbors fret over flooding, safety and traffic
Blackhawk Trail and other developments around the highway and Metcalf Avenue have emerged, much to the chagrin of neighbors in the unincorporated community of Stilwell and more rural parts of southern Overland Park.
Over the past couple of years, many have said they’d prefer to maintain the existing character of the area and stave off what some have termed a suburban “invasion.”
On Monday, a handful of residents spoke against this project, citing multiple concerns, including the potential for flooding, an increase in traffic and the threats to public safety that would come with those issues.
Some people expressed worries that the apartment portion of the project that the developer has scuttled could come back later and exacerbate those potential issues.
“I just feel like this natural area is so beautiful,” said Marlene Carter, a Stilwell resident. “I really feel like this land should be sparingly developed. This just seems like too much for the area.”
“I see a lot of good things”
Still, members of the planning commission supported the project and unanimously voted to advance it.
Commissioner Edward Reitzes was a vocal supporter of the plan, noting that it “makes sense” to put the duplexes closer to the highway while carving out space for larger-lot single-family homes in the future.
“I see a lot of good things here,” he said, adding that he was happy to see some housing variety proposed in the Blackhawk Trail project with the duplexes.
Commissioner Jenna Reyes voiced similar comments, saying that she was glad to see a developer propose a housing option that wasn’t just more apartments.
Though the city’s comprehensive plan slated part of the 17205 Metcalf Pl. property for the “Innovation/Flex Hub” character type, which prioritizes land uses like offices, light industrial and craft manufacturing, city staff and the planning commission agreed that housing would be a better fit for the area.
“I think of this as fitting in better with the surroundings,” said Commission Chair Kip Strauss.
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