| November 6, 2007 [updated November 13, 2007]
The Board of Directors of the Blue Valley Riding Homeowners Association met Monday, November 5, and voted to send a letter to the Planning Commission opposing the requested re-zoning (REZ-0023) of 80 acres adjacent to Blue Valley Riding neighborhood. After considerable discussion and consideration of alternate letters, the Board decided to send a succinct letter of opposition (see below).
The vote of those attending was unanimous. In addition, several Board Members who could not attend had previously been contacted and also voiced opposition to the project.
The re-zoning site plan currently calls for 480,000+ square feet of retail/office (about a third the size of the massive Oak Park Shopping Mall at 95th and Quivira), along with high density residential zoning. It would be anchored by a 170,000+ sq ft Lowe's.
[Update 11/13/2007: The site plan submitted by the developer calling for 481,629 sq ft of commercial was in error. The actual square footage was approximately 390,000 square feet. A revised plan submitted in early November raised the 390,000 sq ft to 417,997 sq ft. The additional commercial would be on land previously identified as residential. Both the earlier plan and the new plan erroneously call for residential RP-3 zoning. The Planning Staff pointed out the fifteen 3 story apartment buildings would require RP-5 zoning, not RP-3. The developer did not correct this error on the new site plan.]
The Master Plan for the 80 acre tract calls for residential, low density zoning with no commercial or office on the entire tract. The tract abuts Blue Valley Riding neighborhood (1+ acre lots) and is across 159th street from Willowbend (R-1 zoning).
Text of Letter Sent By Board of Blue Valley Riding To Overland Park Planning
November 6, 2007
Overland Park Planning Commission
City Hall
8500 Santa Fe Drive
Overland Park, KS 66212
Dear Planning Commission Members,
Rezoning Application REZ-0023 requests a rezoning to commercial (CP-2) and high density residential (RP-5) on the 80 acre tract on the Southeast corner of Metcalf and 159th Street. The applicant would like to place a 480,000+ square foot retail center anchored by Lowe's, along with apartments and multifamily dwellings.
The Board of Directors of Blue Valley Riding Home Owners' Association (BVR HOA), adjacent to the proposed development, requests that you oppose this rezoning application because it includes commercial zoning and the residential density requested far exceeds the Blue Valley Plan Future Land Use Map, which specifies Transition Zoning (low density residential) for these parcels.
Sincerely,
Jean Prouty, President, Blue Valley Riding HOA
[Please include this as part of the hearing record for this application.]
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