A vacant property just south of Bluhawk on 167th Street in Overland Park could be developed with a mix of housing options and large-scale commercial uses.
Price Brothers, the same developer behind the mixed-use Bluhawk project, wants to convert the site into a collection of single-family homes, higher-density apartments and a commercial district.
The roughly 100-acre property in question sits on the southern side of 167th between U.S. Highway 69 and Antioch Road.
120+ homes, almost 350 apartments planned in all
Called the 167th Development in city planning documents, the project from Price Brothers features different densities of residential development and some commercial space.
Housing takes up the majority of the property, with about 56 acres earmarked for 122 small-lot single-family homes. Those will be located on the southern half of the development area and will be paired with a neighborhood clubhouse and pool.
An additional 15 acres north of that would be designated for a total of eight apartment buildings that would be no taller than four stories with 343 units total. These would also come with a clubhouse and a pool, as well as two picnic areas and two playgrounds.
The remaining 30 or so acres in the northern portion of the property would have four commercial pad sites. At least one of these sites would be developed as a drive-thru and another would be a pharmacy, according to the plan.
There would also be a gas station and convenience store in addition to the pad sites.
Two large commercial buildings for big-box stores are also included in the plan. The intended tenants of those spaces have not been publicly identified. The two buildings would be 171,000 square feet and 54,000 square feet, respectively.
Currently, the property is zoned with a carryover rural designation from the time of annexation into Overland Park. To develop it as proposed, chunks of it would need to be rezoned for single-family homes, higher-density apartments and commercial development.
“What really makes sense” for 167th Street project
The rezoning application came to the Overland Park Planning Commission for its first official look earlier this week after working its way through the planning process the last few months.
At the recommendation of city planning staff, the planning commission voted 8-0 on Monday to continue the application to a later date so more changes could be made. (Chair Radd Way and Commissioners Holly Streeter-Schaefer and Thomas Robinett were absent from the meeting.)
“I would be in favor of a continuance to study a little more about what really makes sense,” Commissioner Tirzah Gregory said.
Among the issues staff raised were the excess parking planned on the site, as well as concerns about landscaping and signage plans, buffering from the residential area to the north, design, engineering, pedestrian connectivity throughout the site and traffic.
There were also questions about the proposal’s fit with what Framework OP, the city’s long-range development plan, calls for at this site.
Framework OP emphasizes “Suburban Neighborhood” development in that area of the city, like single-family homes or smaller-scale multifamily developments.
Neighbors, some commissioners are skeptical
Neighbors who live near the project were also skeptical about the proposed project’s fit, pointing to the planned gas station, large commercial buildings and apartments in the 167th Development proposal.
Lance Hodges, who lives in the nearby Black Forest neighborhood, referred to that kind of development as “cancerous growth that infects our neighborhoods.” He said only lower-density housing would be appropriate for the site, something called for in Framework OP.
Some commissioners worried about plans to develop some of the proposed commercial area into yet-to-be-named big-box stores. They were skeptical that commercial development of that scale would be the right fit.
“The big problems I have are the two big-box [stores],” Commissioner Kip Strauss said. “A massive parking [lot] is not an inviting environment.”
Next steps:
Now that the planning commission has voted to continue the rezoning application, it will return for consideration at a later date pending some amendments. That could be as soon as Sept. 14, when the commission next meets at 1:30 p.m.
After that, the city council will need to vote on the application, likely in October if the plan gets through the planning commission.
Down the line, if approved, the project would come back to the planning commission again for a final development plan authorization.
Keep reading: Commercial lot near Bluhawk poised to become 139 apartments and townhomes instead
