The Unified Government’s Neighborhood and Community Development standing committee denied a proposed storage facility that conflicted with the Northeast Area Master Plan, approved a batch of land bank applications and received updates on a comprehensive rewrite of the county’s 40-year-old zoning code during its Monday, Mar. 30 meeting. The committee convened shortly after 9:30 p.m. following the adjournment of the Economic Development and Finance committee’s lengthy session.

All five committee members were present: Chair Commissioner Andrew Davis (District 8), Commissioner Melissa Bynum (at-large, District 1), Commissioner Jermaine Howard (District 1), Commissioner Carlos Pacheco (District 5) and Commissioner Chuck Stites (District 7).

Zoning code overhaul reveals barriers to housing

UG Planner Alyssa Marcy presented an update on a full rewrite of the county’s zoning code, which she described as 40-plus years old with numerous amendments that have made it confusing and difficult to navigate. An analysis found the code contains 67 zoning districts and does not account for modern housing types such as accessory dwelling units, tiny homes or mixed-use development.

A housing-specific analysis funded by Health Forward Foundation examined four of the most common residential districts in KCK. The results showed widespread barriers to residential development, particularly on the narrow lots of 50 feet or less that are common in the urban core. A chart of housing types and district requirements was, as Marcy described it, filled with “red X’s” indicating prohibited configurations.

The analysis also tested what is currently allowed, what is achievable with creative workarounds and what would be possible with code changes. In one example using the R2B district, Marcy showed that specific changes to setback requirements and density limits could unlock significantly more housing options.

“If our goal is to rebuild and to rebuild affordably, and to also make sure that our developers can still build and make a profit while keeping it attainable, you have to build more density,” Marcy said. “The math doesn’t math unless you’re building more density.”

A design consultant is currently testing two real-world scenarios, one using 10 land bank lots in the Douglas Sumner neighborhood and another with two lots in the Northeast. The consultant will produce architectural drawings showing what could be built under proposed code changes.

A draft recommendations report for the full code rewrite is expected as early as next month, with a completed version likely by June.

Planning department stretched thin

Interim Planning Director Rodney Lucas presented the department’s 2025 annual report. He said the nine-person department fields nearly 60 thousand phone calls, emails and walk-ins per year and is working to fill positions to reach its goal of 14 staff members. Four positions are currently posted, including the permanent director role, a zoning enforcement inspector and two planners.

Lucas also noted that the department’s work on short-term rental permits ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup has slowed its transition to the Accela permitting software. The department is running a trial through July to determine whether the Neighborhood Resource Center could take over some special-use permit processing.

Among the department’s long-range projects are a Quindaro master plan being developed by consultant Taliaferro & Browne, a Vision Zero action plan in partnership with public works, Main Street corridor programs through Plan KCK and a riverfront master plan in collaboration with Kansas City, Mo.

Land bank applications approved in batches

The committee approved several groups of land bank applications. A first batch of single-family home options with no opposition passed 5-0, covering seven applicants and addresses across the urban core, including multi-lot applications from Jackson Realty Estate Group on Vermont and Gilmore Avenues and Think Development on 17th Street, Short Avenue and surrounding blocks.

A second batch of multi-family applications without opposition also passed 5-0, including options on North 16th Street, North 18th Street, and South Mill Street.

A group of property transfers for gardens and yard extensions likewise passed 5-0 without controversy, though online commenter Eva Garcia Meza raised a question about the garden policy after noting that one applicant was requesting three adjacent lots for a garden. Redevelopment Coordinator Michael Sutton explained that unlike yard extensions, which require the applicant to live in an abutting house, garden applications have no limit on the number of lots a person can request.

Three applications held for neighborhood input

The committee voted 5-0 to hold three applications until its next meeting so the applicants could present to their respective neighborhood groups.

Online commenter Fran Sutton, who identified herself as a builder on land bank lots, questioned whether a neighborhood group could effectively block development by not responding to outreach. Davis explained that the policy requires the applicant to make “every effort” to reach out, and that if a group declines to engage, the committee can proceed with the application at its discretion.

Storage unit denied over master plan conflict

The committee unanimously denied a commercial application to build a storage unit at 2000 North 10th Street. The property is zoned for industrial development, but the Northeast Area Master Plan designates the intersection as a gateway neighborhood commercial hub.

The Douglass-Sumner Neighborhood Group opposed the application, writing that the site “presents a valuable opportunity to support medium-density commercial development” and that the proposed storage use “is limited in its community benefit and does not reflect the highest and best use of this strategically located property.”

Sutton acknowledged the difficulty of the decision, saying the planning background leads him to lean toward the area plan’s recommendations, but he also recognized that “if you have somebody that’s ready to build now on a lot that’s not producing us anything,” the case for allowing it has merit.

Davis said he was “not excited about a storage build” and sympathized with the applicant’s frustration at going through the process for a property that is technically zoned for the proposed use, but where the master plan envisions something different.

Bynum made the motion to deny, saying the proposal “does not reflect the intent and desires of the Northeast Area Master Plan,” and comparing the situation to lots in the Struggler’s Hill and Douglass-Sumner areas that carry outdated zoning from decades past. The denial passed 5-0.

The result was the reverse of a January decision where a used car dealership on North 7th Street that met zoning requirements was approved despite also not fitting the Northeast Master Plan.

Duplex plan approved over neighborhood objection

The committee approved a multi-family application for five lots on New Jersey Ave. in the Struggler’s Hill neighborhood. The developer plans to build five duplexes providing 10 total units. The Struggler’s Hill-Roots Neighborhood Association opposed the proposal, citing “ongoing economic uncertainty both locally and nationally.”

Pacheco disagreed with the reasoning, noting that the neighborhood group is not being asked to bear the financial risk. “They’re not the ones being asked to do this economic development,” he said. Stites added that the application is an option, meaning if financing falls through or construction does not happen, the application simply expires and the risk is entirely on the developer.

Bynum noted there appeared to be some history of tension between the neighborhood and developers over past projects that did not turn out as expected. Sutton confirmed that the lots are already zoned for duplex use and no additional zoning entitlements would be needed.

Davis made the motion to approve, saying he did not see a reason to vote against it. The motion passed 4-1, with Bynum voting no.

Yard extension granted after 18 years of maintenance

In the meeting’s final action, the committee approved a yard extension for resident Tina James on Quindaro Blvd. The application had been held from a previous meeting so staff could verify that she had reached out to the Organization for Community Preservation.

James told the committee she had been maintaining the adjacent lot for 18 years, taking over for a pastor and bishop at her church who cared for it before her. “I need the lot in my name,” she said. “I want people to stop walking through my yard. I want to put a fence up to keep them out of my yard, to keep them away from my house so I can continue being safe.”

The motion passed 5-0. The committee adjourned shortly before 11:45 p.m.