A long-vacant property in northern Overland Park could be redeveloped into 29 townhome units despite pushback from neighbors about traffic and the fit with the neighborhood. The Overland Park Planning Commission voted 10-0 to recommend approval of the rezoning for the project, dubbed Stratford Square.

Project Details

Koenig Building, the developer, is proposing a total of 29 townhome units across five buildings. These will be for-rent units, each with two bedrooms and a one-car garage. The two buildings planned to sit closest to Metcalf will be divided by a sidewalk and a green space.

Previously, the site had two single-family homes on it, but those were torn down at some point in the years since a 2005 rezoning to the city’s Planned Cluster Housing District. Under the new plan, the developer is requesting the site be rezoned to the Planned Garden Apartment District.

Neighbor Concerns

Concerns centered primarily around traffic impacts in an already bustling intersection, stormwater runoff causing flooding, the density of the proposed development, and the fit of the townhomes with the established neighborhood. Some neighbors were also worried about the height of the buildings, their width, and the architecture, as well as a lack of buffer between existing homes and the new townhomes.

Commissioner Kip Strauss pointed to the city’s comprehensive plan, Framework OP, which identifies this corner for Traditional Neighborhood uses. Townhomes and other lower-density multifamily developments alongside single-family homes are included in that character type.

The rezoning application for the Stratford Square townhomes goes to the Overland Park City Council for consideration next. It is tentatively scheduled for the July 6 meeting at 7:30 p.m.

Original reporting: Johnson County Post (Overland Park) — read the source article.