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PLEASE DENY
THE BLUE VALLEY PLAZA PROPOSAL The
developers and the residents have differing points of view regarding
appropriate development of the land on the Southeast corner of 159th and
Metcalf: the developers seek personal financial gain through large commercial
development; the residents seek residential development consistent with the
Blue Valley Master Plan. Fortunately we have a system
in place of elected, hired, and volunteer parties who are entrusted to make
informed decisions based on the best interest of the community as a whole, with
no personal interest involved. These
entities are the Johnson County
Commissioners, the Johnson County Planning and Development Staff, and the
Oxford Township Zoning Board. Two
of the three groups have already spoken and unequivocally oppose this
development. Please support the hard work and careful scrutiny of
the Johnson County Planning and Development Staff and the Oxford Township
Zoning Board in denying this proposal. Facts the
community of concerned residents hope you will consider: · The Blue
Valley Master Plan , coauthored by Johnson County and Overland Park, with
input from the landowners, clearly
defines the use of this land in the map legend as “Transition Zone (Low Density Residential)” (See attachment 1, the Blue Valley
Plan-Future Land Use Map.) The Blue Valley Plaza is not in compliance with
the Comprehensive Plan. · The term “transition area” in the Blue Valley Plan
has NOT been “misinterpreted” by the Johnson County Planning Staff
in calling for residential development. Roger Kroh, Director of Johnson County
Planning clearly stated at the Oxford Township Zoning Board hearing: “We’re interpreting something we
coauthored. And the other coauthor,
specifically Overland Park, their staff concur with our interpretation.” (See
attachment 2, Audio Transcript, 6/20/02 meeting.) · The Golden Criteria analysis by Johnson County Planning and
Development and the Oxford Township Zoning Board does not support this commercial development. The analysis shows
that: Ÿ
the
proposed zoning is not consistent with
the adjacent low density residential property. Ÿ
the
property is suitable for residential
uses. Ÿ
the detrimental effects of this proposal far
outweigh any benefits. Ÿ
the
request is not compatible with the
character of the neighborhood. Ÿ
the
request does not comply with the Blue
Valley Master Plan which calls for residential. · The developer claims the
vacant land has been on the market and cannot be developed for
residential. This is not true. The present owners, the Catholic Education
Foundation, recently decided not to build a school on this property. “It
has been vacant either because of ownership reasons or because infrastructure
was not available to facilitate development.” (See p. 9, section 5, Staff
Report) Both Overland Park and Johnson
County have shown this land is ideally suited for its planned use of
residential with possible urban densities. (See attachment 3, letter from
Roger Peterson, Director of Overland Park Planning.) · Contrary to what the
developers state, this proposal is not
just opposed by a “vocal few,” but rather by an overwhelming majority of the
residents of the community. Over 140
landowners within 1000’ signed a legal protest petition and presidents
of six homeowners’ associations representing over 1500 residents in the area
have written letters opposing commercial development of this property. · The developers were asked by the Oxford Township
Zoning Board and by the Johnson County Planning Staff to provide comparison properties in Johnson County
that abut low density residential property and that are on two-lane roads. None exist. The comparative properties
the developer provided are all on at
least four-lane roads and have urban density housing or duplexes, some separated
by roadways from the residential property. (See attachment 4, spreadsheet.) · The completed traffic studies indicate that the
proposed shopping center development
will generate 13,610 vehicle trips per day, which is 14 times greater than the
970 vehicle trips per day generated by a residential development. (See
Attachment 5, Table 1, trip generation.)
Delivery trucks will be a constant.
Air and noise pollution levels
would rise significantly. · Johnson County Planning
Staff has stated, “The extent of the traffic effects associated with the proposed zoning and development are so
extensive that it would be detrimental to nearby residential property.” “ The
relative gain to the public by denying the request outweighs the hardship
imposed upon the landowner.” (See p. 9, Section 4 and p. 10, Section 6 of
Staff Report.) This development would jeopardize public safety. · The road infrastructure is
clearly not in place to support traffic of this huge retail development. Norman Bowers,
County Engineer, has stated repeatedly that this proposal is not in
compliance with CARNP. “This is a fatal flaw.” (See attachment
6, Memorandum.) · 159th Street is not a major commercial corridor. KDOT stated
October of 2001 that there is no
application for an interchange at the 159th and 69 Highway location. According to James E. Tobaben, PE, (Bureau
Chief, Transportation Planning), KDOT is
not supportive of another interchange so close to 151st and 167th
streets. (See attachment 7, KDOT letter) · Tax revenue is not a criteria on which decisions are based. The law clearly states in Golden v. City of Overland Park that
all Eight Golden Criteria must be
examined. · Low pressure grinder pump systems are feasible on
this property as was stated by Brian Pietig, county engineer, and are being used in other residential
developments in Johnson County and Overland Park. · Scrutiny of the
cross-section of the proposal clearly shows that the view to neighbors would be
of a five story building which can not
be screened with “trees and other vegetation.” (See attachment 8, Section
A-A) · The Blue Valley Master Plan is THE document used to determine land
use. Residents consult the plan and
depend upon its reliability when
purchasing homes. A major deviation
from the plan can cause a “domino effect” of other inappropriate
development. Thank you for your time and
effort devoted to this decision. Please support
the Johnson County Planning and Development Staff and the Oxford Township
Zoning Board in opposing this proposal and supporting the Blue Valley Master
Plan. Sincerely, Neighborhoods’
Southeast Tract Committee (Drafting
committee members: Jean Prouty (913) 851-0238,
Sandy Hall (913) 685-3405, and Theresa Swallow (913) 897-2690 |