The Shawnee Planning Commission has approved plans for a small single-family-home development in the north-central part of the city.
On Monday, the planning commission approved a rezoning request and preliminary plat for the Elysium Fields subdivision on Alden Street, just off Johnson Drive.
The vote was 9-0, with Commissioner Genise Luecke absent.
The subdivision, if ultimately approved, would be built on nearly seven acres of unplatted land at the 5900 block of Alden Street. It will contain six single-family residential homes and one open tract of land.
The rezoning request would change the land from AG (Agricultural) to R-1 (Single-Family Residential).
Lenexa-based real estate company Metropolitan Properties LLC, is the applicant.
Six large home lots planned
The land for the homes on Elysium Fields is 6.7 acres. The development also includes the road and right-of-way north of the property that expands it to a total of 7.4 acres.
The property is currently vacant pastureland.
The plan calls for six large single-family lots, each ranging in size from roughly three-quarters of an acre to two acres.
There would also be a 2,730-square-foot tract of land that contains an existing pond and preserved native vegetation to meet stormwater quality requirements, according to city documents.
The land will also contain a private street and other infrastructure to support the subdivision.
The subdivision will have its own homeowners association, which will be responsible for all maintenance activities.
In February, an existing single-family home on the northeast corner of the property was rezoned from AG to R-1 and split out of the overall tract. It is not part of the requested rezoning and preliminary plat.
Two people spoke at the meeting
While the city sent out notices to 20 surrounding property owners about the public hearing at the planning commission, only two people spoke during the meeting.
A resident on Alden Street, Craig Seibert, asked for clarification on the total amount of land included in the rezoning, as well as a discussion on the material the six homes will be made out of, which Commissioner Bruce Bienhoff tabled.
“We’re not here to look at the design of the homes, and we have not seen that, and if it’s not coming in as a (Planned Unit Development District plan), then we would not see that or govern that here,” he said.
Another resident, Terry Martinkus, of the neighboring Sunset Estates subdivision, worried that some kind of barrier would be required to separate the two properties.
“What I’m fearful of is fencing (between the subdivisions), like a wood fence or something, and I really would not want that,” she said.
While the city doesn’t require a barrier to be built, Doug Allmon, community development director, said that homeowners at Elysium Fields would be allowed to build up to a 6-foot-tall privacy fence.
“There’s no city requirement that we would enforce to say they couldn’t have a fence around their yard,” he said.
The planning commission was largely supportive
The main line of questioning about the property came from Commissioner Kathy Peterson, who worried about the property’s proximity to Broken Arrow Elementary School.
She also expressed concerns that two of the planned lots — one that would have direct access to Alden Road and another that would have direct access to Johnson Drive — could complicate traffic in the area.
“That’s a lot of activity on two fairly busy streets, especially between the hours of 7:30Â and 9 (a.m.) and 2:30 and 4 (p.m.) … That should be addressed before we go to a final plan,” she said.
Since there are existing homes that have direct access to both roads, Allmon said they would look to those for reference.
“We could (make sure) the site distance on those would be (far enough where) it wouldn’t be within the functional area of the intersection for that light. And generally, there are other driveways that have access directly to Alden. This would be similar to that situation,” he said.
Other commissioners, like Kevin Fox, had nothing but praise for the project.
“It’s a good use of the land. I like that we’re not putting 15 houses in there. We’re putting (6 in), so I’m in favor of this and I think the plan looks good,” he said.
What’s next
The Shawnee City Council will consider the preliminary plan and rezoning for Elysium Fields on Jan. 12, 2026.
