OVERLAND PARK PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING May 13, 2013 The Overland Park Planning Commission meeting was called to order at 1:30 p.m. by Mrs. Janie Thacker, Chair. The following members were present, constituting a quorum: Mr. Mike Flanagan, Vice Chair; Mr. Tom Lance; Mr. Edward Ned Reitzes; Mr. George Lund; Mr. John Brake; Mr. Bob Gadd; Mr. Steve Troester; Mr. Thomas A. Robinett; and Mrs. Kim Sorensen. Mr. David M. Hill was absent. Also present were: Mr. Jack Messer, Director of Planning and Development Services; Mrs. Leslie Karr, Current Planning Manager; Mr. Keith Gooch, Senior Planner; Ms. Danielle Zeigler, Senior Planner; Mr. Aaron Dubois, Assistant Planner; Mr. Steve Horner, Senior Assistant City Attorney; Ms. Pam Fortun, Senior Storm Water Treatment Engineer; Mr. Greg Ruether, Director of Parks Services; Mr. Cylus Scarbrough, Planner I; Mr. Brian Shields, City Traffic Engineer; Mr. Bryan Toben, Aquatics Supervisor; and Ms. Pamela Blaszyk, Recording Secretary. Approximately 40 people were in the audience. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - March 11, 2013. Mr. Steve Troester moved to approve the minutes for the March 11, 2013, Planning Commission meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Edward "Ned" Reitzes and carried with a vote of 10 to 0. CONSENT AGENDA: (Approved Consent Agenda Items A, B, C, D, E, F, H, I and J and continued item G) A. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - Blue Valley Activity Center Roof Renovation - 6545 West 151st Street. Application made by Draw Architecture and Urban Design. B. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - Regents Center Apartments - 12490 Quivira. Application made by Scott Goscha. C. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - Aubrey Vineyards - 16350 Kenneth. Application made by Aubrey Farms, L.L.C. D. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - Vince and Associates Building No. 3 - Vicinity of the northeast corner of 103rd Street and Metcalf. Application made by RSA Architecture. E. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - Children's Mercy South Ambulance Building - 5808 West 110th Street. Application made by HMN Architects, Inc. F. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - Price Chopper - 7201 West 151st Street. Application made by Queen Enterprises, L.L.C.
Page 2 G. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - The Fountains Shopping Center Whole Foods Market - 6621 West 119th Street. Application made by CSHQA. H. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - La Paloma Shopping Center - 6701 West 119th Street. Application made by ACI Boland. I. FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN APPROVAL - AutoZone - Vicinity of the southeast corner of 95th Street and Antioch. Application made by Treanor Architects, PA. J. FINAL PLAT NO. 2013-20 - WatersEdge Second Plat - Vicinity of the northeast corner of 159th Street and Mission. Application made by Phelps Engineering, Inc. Current Planning Manager Leslie Karr indicated that Consent Agenda item G was being continued to the June 10, 2013, Planning Commission meeting. Mr. Steve Troester moved to approve Consent Agenda items A through J, with the exception of item G, which was being continued to the June 10, 2013, Planning Commission meeting. After a second by Mrs. Kim Sorensen, the motion carried with a vote of 10 to 0. Mrs. Karr asked that the Parks Master Plan Public Hearing be tabled until later in the meeting when the consultant had arrived to give a presentation. Chair Thacker took the Chair's prerogative of addressing the agenda items out of order and stated that the Parks Master Plan Public Hearing was tabled until later in the meeting. SPECIAL USE PERMIT NO. 2013-8 - Vicinity of the northeast corner of Indian Creek Parkway and Nall. Special use permit requested for an indefinite period of time to allow a rehabilitation hospital. This property is currently zoned CP-O, Planned Office Building District. Application made by Phelps Engineering, Inc. (Approved) Senior Planner Keith Gooch stated that the applicant was requesting approval of a special use permit to allow a hospital for an indefinite period of time. This application is associated with the next agenda item, the Revised Preliminary Plan Approval for Highlands Village, which regards the entire plan for Highlands Village, while this special use permit just relates to the hospital site on that property. The hospital is to be 55,000 square feet in size with a total of 45 beds. Access to this piece of property is provided from 103rd Street. An additional drive will be connected to the remainder of Highlands Village at the northwest corner of the hospital property. Staff has worked with the applicant to provide proper access to all adjacent streets as well as internally to the rest of Highlands Village and to provide sidewalks. Retaining walls are located on the west and east side of the application. The retaining wall that is the furthest to the east is higher than the five foot limit that was recently implemented with the design standards. The applicant has stated that the retaining wall will be screened by some trees, and they are asking for a deviation to increase the
Page 3 height to save more trees. Otherwise, the area will have to be regraded, and it is likely that the trees would be removed with the grading. A total of 130 parking spaces is provided on site. A trash enclosure is located along the north property line as well as some additional equipment that is needed for the hospital. There is a walking trail along the eastern side of the building. The criteria to allow a deviation was listed on page No. 27 in Staff Comments. The elevations are proposed to be two brick colors, stone and cast stone. Staff is comfortable with the building elevations at this time. There will be some additional review with the final plan. Landscaping and additional lighting information will be provided with the final plan. Staff was recommending approval of Special Use Permit No. 2013-8 with stipulations a through o. Mr. Jed Claussen, applicant, Phelps Engineering, 1270 N. Winchester, Olathe, Kansas, indicated that Mr. Eric DeVries with Cobalt was also present. He is the buyer of the property, and his company is constructing the hospital. Mr. Claussen added that the master developer with Highlands Village, Mr. Doug Weltner, was present. He clarified that references to the developer in the stipulations regard the master developer. Mr. Claussen referred to the original development plan that was approved in 2011 with Indian Creek Parkway to the south. Buildings 11 and 10 were in the commercial office part of the project. The new hospital is proposed to be in that area and is replacing buildings 10 and 11. The apartments that were approved previously are now under construction. The two-story hospital is approximately 55,000 square feet. In addition to replacing buildings 10 and 11, it would also take some square footage from building 9 with a balance of an additional 11,000 square feet. The site falls from the west to the east. Retaining walls are located along the west side of the site. Some retaining walls are located to the south of the building along Indian Creek Parkway, and more walls are located along the access road to the east side of the site. The request for the deviation was to try to reduce the impact on the trees by allowing a short section of the lower retaining wall to increase up to nine feet in height. They felt that would be preferable versus offsetting the wall further to the east and getting further into the tree lines. The trees are mature in that area and they block that wall quite well from the westbound traffic on Indian Creek Parkway. As noted in Staff Comments, in this case, the larger retaining wall is protecting additional trees from removal. Tree protection is also the intent of the code; therefore, granting this deviation seems to be in keeping with the code. Mr. Eric DeVries, developer, Cobalt, 5323 Spring Valley Road, Dallas, Texas, noted that they are the real estate developer and the operations developer of this post acute care facility. Their team has developed these types of hospitals all over the United States. The traditional rehabilitation hospital treats patients for an average stay of two weeks. These patients have suffered a stroke, a hip or knee replacement, a spinal cord injury, a burn or other illnesses. They are excited to bring this type of hospital to Kansas City. They spent about two years looking at the demographics and completing a bed need analysis of Kansas City. They saw that there is a regional shortage for this
Page 4 type of hospital. A lot of patients are going to Denver, Colorado, or to Dallas, Texas, for treatment. They saw a need in the Kansas City area, and they are excited to bring this project to the City. Their team has developed approximately one-third of these types of hospitals in the country. They align closely with the local physician community and hospital community. Chair Thacker opened the public hearing regarding this item. There was no response, and the hearing was closed. Chair Thacker clarified that Mr. Claussen was in agreement with the stipulations. Mr. Troester moved to recommend to the Council approval of Special Use Permit No. 2013-8, for an indefinite period of time, to allow a rehabilitation hospital with stipulations a through o. Mr. Reitzes seconded the motion, which carried with a vote of 10 to 0. REVISED PRELIMINARY PLAN APPROVAL - Highlands Village - Vicinity of the northeast corner of Indian Creek Parkway and Nall. Application made by Phelps Engineering, Inc. (Approved) Mr. Gooch noted that this item is associated with the previous agenda item that was just approved. This is the Revised Preliminary Plan for Highlands Village. The property is zoned CP-2, Planned General Business District, CP-O, Planned Office Building District, and RP-6, Planned High-Rise Apartment District. The applicant is requesting approval of a revised preliminary plan to allow a hospital in Highlands Village. Buildings 10 and 11 on the 2012 approved plan are going to be consolidated into the 45-bed, 55,000-square-foot hospital. The overall square feet of the development will include 78,400 square feet of CP-2 on the western side, 32,465 square feet of CP-2 on the eastern side, 198,825 square feet of CP-O for the office uses, 238 apartments and 55,000 square feet for the hospital in the central area and 29,269 square feet for a hospital in the eastern area. This plan increases the overall square feet by 11,000 square feet of additional office space from the 2012 approved plan. There is a slight increase in the total of peak hour trips, but it is only about 48 more trips in the PM peak hour. Therefore, staff did not require a traffic study. Staff was recommending approval of the Revised Preliminary Plan for Highlands Village with stipulations a through t, and with a revision in stipulation j. Revised stipulation j had added language indicating that "the owner/or developer shall be responsible for 50 percent of the construction costs." The rest of the language in stipulation j was the same. Mr. Reitzes asked for a review of the RP-6 requirements. Mr. Gooch replied that generally RP-6 uses are required along a thoroughfare. This RP-6 area was zoned a few years ago, so no changes are required. This site was accessed through Indian Creek Parkway, so staff was supportive of that request when it was made a few years ago. Mr. Reitzes asked if there are height requirements. Mr. Gooch replied that there are no height restrictions for RP-6.
Page 5 Mr. Jed Claussen, applicant, Phelps Engineering, 1270 N. Winchester, Olathe, Kansas, stated that they were in agreement with the stipulations including revised stipulation j. He clarified that when references are made to the developer or owner, it is in reference to the master developer/owner, which is Highlands Village Indian Creek. Chair Thacker opened the public hearing regarding this item. There was no response, and the hearing was closed. Mr. Gooch clarified that the RP-6 zoning does not have a height limitation, but there is a requirement for a minimum of four stories. Mr. Mike Flanagan moved to recommend to the Council approval of the Revised Preliminary Plan for Highlands Village with stipulations a through t including revised stipulation j. The motion was seconded by Mr. Troester and carried with a vote of 10 to 0. REZONING NO. 2013-2 - Vicinity of the southeast corner of 151st Street and Switzer. Rezoning requested from RP-OE, Planned Open Space Estate Residential District, to RP-1, Planned Single-Family Residential District, to allow a single-family development. Application made by Phelps Engineering, Inc. (Continued) Mrs. Karr indicated that the applicant requested that this item be continued to the June 10, 2013, Planning Commission meeting. Since it was a late request, it would be appropriate to have a public hearing. Chair Thacker opened the public hearing regarding this item. Since no one wished to speak, the hearing was closed. Mr. Flanagan moved to continue Rezoning No. 2013-2 to the June 10, 2013, Planning Commission meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Reitzes and carried with a unanimous vote. REZONING NO. 2013-3 - Vicinity of the northeast corner of 159th Street and Quivira. Rezoning requested from RP-OS, Planned Open Space Single-Family Residential District, and A-J, Agricultural District, to RP-OS, Planned Open Space Single-Family Residential District, to allow a rezoning for Wilshire by the Lake. Application made by Phelps Engineering, Inc. (Approved) Mr. Gooch indicated that the applicant was requesting a rezoning from RP-OS, Planned Open Space Single-Family Residential District, and A-J, Agricultural District, to RP-OS, Planned Open Space Single-Family Residential District, to allow a singlefamily subdivision on a 99.64-acre tract at the northeast corner of 159th Street and Quivira. There are large lots to the east, north and west. To the south across 159th Street is Mills Farm and Deer Valley zoned R-1 and one large lot zoned RUR-J, Rural District, Johnson County.
Page 6 The proposed plan is almost identical to the 2012 approved plan. The only area that is being changed is on the western acreage to include additional land to change the street layout. The rest of the site, which was previously called The Vineyard, is now called Wilshire by the Lake, and the development is similar to the currently approved plan. There is a connection to the subdivision to the north and a connection to the subdivision to the east. There is one point of access off 159th Street. The eastern portion of the project is being developed as currently approved. The western ten acres have been purchased by this applicant or are under contract to be purchased. There is a single-family home on Lot 28 that they will keep, and the access will stay the same to 159th Street until that lot is redeveloped. They are providing additional cul-de-sacs on the north and south sides of the western ten acres, and there is a connection to the west to the large lots that are located along Quivira. A total of 148 units are on 99.64 acres, which is a density of 1.4 dwelling units per acre. They are meeting the required 30 percent of open space in the RP-OS zoning. There is a 75-foot buffer around the majority of the property, although the buffer is smaller in the existing subdivision on the southeast corner, in the central area and along the existing house that is remaining, where access is to be provided off the culde-sac in the future. Tract K is partly a stream corridor, and the Parks Department could ask that it be dedicated to the City for a park. If that occurs, the excise tax would not have to be paid on this tract, but the excise tax would be required to be paid on the rest of the land that is being developed. Stipulations have been provided should the Parks Department request the dedication of Tract K. This property is located in the Johnson County Executive Airport Overlay. Therefore, prior to publication of the zoning ordinance, the Johnson County Airport Commission and Johnson County Board of County Commissioners shall review and approve this request. Staff was recommending approval of Rezoning No. 2013-3 with stipulations a through w. Mr. Flanagan noted that there is one entrance into the subdivision off 159th Street. He asked if they anticipated another access to the west. Mr. Gooch explained that there are existing single-family homes on large lots to the west that front onto Quivira. Mr. Flanagan clarified that the stub street to the east will someday connect to the subdivision to the east. He asked if there is only one entrance for 148 homes. Mr. Gooch replied that there is a connection to Bluejacket which goes to the Harmony South subdivision. The Fire Department is satisfied with two points of connection. Mr. Bob Gadd asked if there is a dead-end road to the west. Mr. Gooch replied that it is currently a dead-end road. It will be extended with the redevelopment of the lot to the north of the 159th Street and Quivira intersection. There is a single-family home on that lot located along Quivira, and the connection would be extended by any development on those western lots. Mr. Harold Phelps, applicant, Phelps Engineering, 1270 N. Winchester, Olathe, Kansas, stated that the developer, Mr. Jeff Ashner, Wilshire by the Lake, was present as well as the current property owner of the ten-acre tract. Mr. Ashner has the tenacre tract under contract pending the approval of this development. Mr. Phelps noted that the ten-acre piece at the west end of this project can only logically be developed with Wilshire by the Lake. Because of the stream corridor that divides the property, it
Page 7 would not make any sense to cross the creek multiple times to come back from the west side. Extending the cul-de-sacs and the street from the east side in the Wilshire by the Lake subdivision made more sense, and it provided an opportunity for the owner of the ten acres to sell the land. This also allows Mr. Ashner to extend the subdivision and continue his development. They are currently building the eastern side of the development. Everything in the middle was built as The Vineyards. Everything on the east side is being built. There is an existing street stub to the east and a street stub to the north. Both of those connections are in place, and they will be connected before the end of the year. Mr. Phelps agreed with stipulations a through w with the exception that they are planning on coming back with a final plat for the western portion as a single phase for the remaining lots of the project. Stipulation e regards the parkland dedication. He had a discussion with Director of Parks Services Greg Ruether regarding the timing of the dedication of land. They are trying to avoid a situation where they pay the excise tax and then the City decides that they want the land. Typically, they do not pay excise on parkland that is dedicated to the City. Mr. Ruether has assured Mr. Phelps that he will look at the land in a timely manner. Stipulation e begins, "If the City's Park Department deems Tract K as appropriate for parkland," and he wanted the words to be added "prior to the final plat of the property." If the language is added, they would be in agreement to that dedication. They are trying to avoid paying excise tax, which is about $9,000 per acre, for a two- or three-acre tract if the land is to be dedicated to the City. Chair Thacker asked if staff agreed with the change to stipulation e. Mr. Gooch replied in the affirmative. He would like to add words "prior to the final plat being recorded." The first sentence of stipulation e would be "If the City's Parks Department deems Tract K as appropriate for parkland, prior to the final plat being recorded, the proposed parkland tract shall be dedicated in fee simple absolute, by Kansas Warranty Deed, to the City of Overland Park for public open space and natural preservation areas at a time acceptable to and/or requested by the Director of Parks and Recreation." Mr. Phelps was agreeable to the extra words. Chair Thacker opened the public hearing on this item. There was no response, and the hearing was closed. Mr. Troester moved to recommend to the Council approval of Rezoning No. 2013-3 with stipulations a through w, with revised stipulation e as read into the record. The motion was seconded by Mr. George Lund and carried with a vote of 10 to 0. REZONING NO. 2013-4 - Vicinity of the southeast corner of 159th Street and Metcalf. Rezoning requested from CP-O, Planned Office Building District, to RP-3, Planned Garden Apartment District, as a part of Metcalf Plaza. Application made by Phelps Engineering, Inc. (Approved) Mr. Gooch stated that this property is zoned CP-O, Planned Office Building District, and the applicant is requesting a rezoning to RP-3, Planned Garden Apartment District. This property, and the sites to the east and the north were previously rezoned in 2007. That is all a part of the next application, which is the Revised Preliminary Plan for 159th and Metcalf. This request is to meet a stipulation that was
Page 8 a part of the original Rezoning No. 2007-23. This is zoned CP-O; however, at the Council meeting, a request was made that this piece of ground be rezoned from CP-O to RP-3. This ground will be developed with a cabana and a walking trail. No other changes are shown on this site from what was approved in 2007. Staff was recommending approval of Rezoning No. 2013-4 with stipulations a through q. Mr. Harold Phelps, applicant, Phelps Engineering, 1270 N. Winchester, Olathe, Kansas, said he was representing the property owner. This application is to meet a stipulation that was required to rezone this property from CP-O to RP-3. He agreed with the stipulations. Chair Thacker opened the public hearing on this item. There was no response, and the hearing was closed. Mr. Reitzes moved to recommend to the Council approval of Rezoning No. 2013-4 with stipulations a through q. The motion was seconded by Mrs. Sorensen and carried with a vote of 10 to 0. REVISED PRELIMINARY PLAN APPROVAL - 159th And Metcalf - Vicinity of the southeast corner of 159th Street and Metcalf. Application made by Phelps Engineering, Inc. (Approved) Mr. Gooch noted that the applicant was requesting approval of the Revised Preliminary Plan for 159th and Metcalf on property zoned CP-2, Planned General Business District, CP-1, Planned Restricted Business District, CP-O, Planned Office Building District, RP-3, Planned Garden Apartment Building District, and RP-5, Planned Apartment House District. The applicant was requesting approval of a revised preliminary plan to amend the stipulations from Rezoning No. 2007-23. In 2008, the City Council approved the rezoning, which required the road improvements to 159th Street and Metcalf, storm water improvements and construction of 24 units in the RP-3 area prior to the development of the RP-5 portion and other stipulations. There were also additional stipulations which were tied to the Lowes store, which was located in the CP-2 portion. Those stipulations dealt with recreational vehicles parking on site, deliveries, outdoor intercoms and other items. Those stipulations are included in this revised preliminary plan. There are no changes to the site plan. The site includes the area that was the subject of the previous agenda item requesting a rezoning from CP-O to RP-3. The rest of the site plan is identical to what was approved in 2007, other than the request for a lift station that is associated with another agenda item, Special Use Permit No. 2013-9, which is being continued to June 10, 2013, Planning Commission meeting. A total of 366,038 square feet of retail is proposed for the site. A total of 48 units zoned RP-3 are to be located at the southeast corner of the property. There are 312 units zoned RP-5 that are to be located on the site, and the rest of the site is zoned CP-2, which was shown previously as a Lowes store. There are some pad sites along 159th Street and Metcalf. In 2015, 159th Street is proposed to be improved to a four-lane thoroughfare, and Metcalf is proposed to be improved the following year. Therefore, staff and the applicant have agreed to remove a majority of the street improvements that were required to be completed with this development. For example, a median was
Page 9 required to be constructed on Metcalf. If this median was constructed, it would be torn out within one to two years. Traffic stipulations remain that deal with the turn lanes, and the property owner will either have to build the lanes or reimburse the City for building the lanes. The storm water stipulations have not been changed as a part of the revised preliminary plan. The one remaining stipulation that the applicant has a concern about is the stipulation requiring the 24 units in the RP-3 portion to be constructed prior to the RP-5 portion being developed. That is something that the Council stipulated, and they will have to address that at the Council meeting. The environmental impacts and transportation impacts are identical to what was heard in 2007 and 2008. Staff was recommending approval of the Revised Preliminary Plan for 159th and Metcalf with stipulations a through mm. Mr. Flanagan clarified that they are moving the fire station on Metcalf to another location before this project is constructed. Mr. Gooch replied that there is a potential that some of the development could be constructed prior to the fire station being relocated. As they start developing the commercial area, it will be harder to keep the fire station there. Mr. Flanagan asked if the big box facility will still be a Lowes store. Mr. Gooch replied that they do not know what will be there. Mr. Harold Phelps, applicant, Phelps Engineering, 1270 N. Winchester, Olathe, Kansas, indicated that he was representing the owners, and a number of things have changed since 2007. There is no longer going to be a Lowes store on the site. There was a contract in 2007 for a Lowes store to be on the site. There is no pending contract at this time on any of the commercial property. There is strong interest for the apartment ground at the south end of the site, and they are working on a contract for that part of the project. In 2007, they anticipated the commercial uses to drive the residential portion. Now it seems that the residential will be ready for construction before the commercial area. With the years that have passed by, a number of things have changed including the progress with the Capital Improvements Program, so that the City now intends to construct 159th Street and Metcalf to four lanes. They are asking for the stipulations to be removed that require them to make temporary improvements to those roads. The improvements would only be there about one year, and they were going to spend about $500,000 on those improvements. They will be paying the excise tax and participating in the cost of those roads, but they would just not be making the interim modifications to the roadways. They understand that they are still responsible for the right-turn lanes as stipulated in the rezoning application, and they agree with making those improvements. There were several stipulations that the Council added after staff and the Planning Commission made their recommendations. One of those stipulations regarded the 24 units, which are multiple units that look like a big house, in the far southeast corner of the project. The Council added the stipulation for those 24 units to be built as a part of the first phase of development. The problem is that there is no market for that product today. Either that product will change in the future or it will be built in the future. They do not anticipate building the commercial portion initially. They do have a user for the apartment ground, which is the RP-3 portion. They are looking at submitting a final development plan for the apartment projects.
Page 10 Rather than making a strong argument to remove a stipulation that was added by the Council, they are making the Commission aware that they will talk to the Council about removing that stipulation. With the exception of stipulation ee, paragraph No. 3, Mr. Phelps agreed with the stipulations. Mr. Flanagan clarified that they are planning to move ahead with the apartment buildings to the south. The uses for the commercial portion are not yet determined and that includes the retail buildings around the perimeter. In the years that he has been on the Commission, it seems that they have approved projects for three corners of the site on 159th Street and Metcalf. The corner at 159th Street and Metcalf is not appealing in appearance with all of the brush, and he hoped that they would find a project for that area. Mr. Phelps replied that one month ago the City Council and KDOT entered into an agreement with the Price Brothers to improve the on and off ramps to 159th Street. He thought that would also significantly drive development on the three corners of the sites that front 159th Street and Metcalf. Chair Thacker opened the public hearing on this item. There was no response, and the hearing was closed. Mr. Troester moved to approve the Revised Preliminary Plan for 159th and Metcalf with stipulations a through mm. The motion was seconded by Mr. Flanagan and carried with a vote of 10 to 0. SPECIAL USE PERMIT NO. 2013-9 - Vicinity of the southeast corner of 159th Street and Metcalf. Special use permit requested for an indefinite period of time to allow a lift station. This property is currently zoned CP-2, Planned General Business District. Application made by Johnson County Wastewater. (Continued) As noted in Staff Comments, this item was to be continued to the June 10, 2013, Planning Commission meeting. Mrs. Sorensen moved to continue Special Use Permit No. 2013-9 to the June 10, 2013, Planning Commission meeting. The motion was seconded by Mr. Reitzes and carried with a vote of 10 to 0. At this point, Chair Thacker took the Parks Master Plan Hearing item off the table. PARKS MASTER PLAN HEARING - Public hearing on the Park Master Plan. Application made by The City of Overland Park. (Approved) Mr. Gooch indicated that they have been working on the Parks Master Plan for the past 14 months. They are now at the point of requesting approval of the plan. They have gone through a number of public hearings and have had drafts of the Plan on the City's Web site for several months for neighborhood input. Mr. Gooch introduced Mr. P. J. Novick, one of their consultants with Bowman Bowman Novick, Inc., along with Moore Iacofano Goltsman, Inc., (MIG), Schlagel and Associates, and Ballard King
Page 11 and Associates, who helped them with the development of the Parks Master Plan. This is the first parks plan of its kind that they have developed in the City. Mr. P. J. Novick, Bowman Bowman Novick, Inc., 411 Nichols Road, Suite 246, Kansas City, Missouri, stated that he would review the Parks Master Plan. The planning process involved numerous elements, including public involvement, the analysis findings, the comprehensive parks system master plan overview, the key recommendations and the implementation of the plan. He would also discuss the refinements based on what they heard from the Council and Planning Commission in November 2012 and some additional feedback that they heard from the Council at the end of April 2013. They used a four phased process. The first phase involved looking at the inventory with the parks, the facilities and the programs analyses. The next phase involved where they want to be, which was a recreation needs assessment and an aquatic needs assessment. Phase three involved how they would attain their goals. Phase four was the documentation and adoption of the plan. This is the first step of the fourth phase. With approval from the Commission, the plan will then go to the Council next week. They gathered information for the Parks Master Plan from the City's Web site. They also obtained information from community recreation survey results, online questionnaires, the park facility and program analyses, the recreational needs assessment, the aquatic facility needs assessment study, meeting summaries from the technical advisory committee, the steering committee, public visioning workshops, aquatic workshops, focus group summaries, and prior master plans. In terms of their public involvement highlights, they had the steering committee, the technical advisory committee and numerous focus groups and interviews that included sports groups, the business community, the Citizens Advisory Council on Parks and Recreation, adjacent communities, Blue Valley Recreation, the Johnson County Parks and Recreation, and the Overland Park Arts and Recreation Foundation. They had a broad base of public involvement with a project Web site, an online questionnaire, a community recreation survey, an aquatics workshop, a community visioning workshop, an additional online questionnaire, a public open house, today's public hearing and a public hearing with the Council. Those efforts brought in over 2,300 points of contact for community input. In gauging what the public felt to be the most important activities in the recreation realm, the highest priority was the trails. Other important activities included playgrounds for children, the use of the parks facilities for exercise, and experiencing nature. They tested ideas to get the support for proposed goals and to gauge the support for a signature community park. They also used visual preferences to show the public ideas from other parks and facilities to try and gain insight as to what they would appreciate in the parks system. They went through a demographic analysis and looked at the park distribution. They looked at whether there were trails, playgrounds, exercise areas, sports fields, greenways and undeveloped space. They looked at the capacity, quality and design quality, recreational facilities, aquatics facilities and programs, and recreational programs. They looked at the geographic analysis, park types, and noticed that neighborhood parks are needed in Area 1 and
Page 12 Area 2. Area 1 is the northern area of the City, and Area 2 is from I-435 to 103rd Street. They also looked at continuing to develop the greenway trail system and to fill in the gaps they currently have in the existing system. Another consideration was the play areas for children. There are some gaps in the City regarding playgrounds and some overlaps in other locations, predominantly in the southern area. They also looked at exercise and sports. There is a need for informal fields for soccer, lacrosse and baseball in the northern areas of the City. They also brought up the importance of potentially working with the school districts to use some of the existing green space that they have for recreation in the northern areas of the City. Regarding recreation facilities, they looked at the neighborhood parks, community parks and the special event parks like the Soccer Park complex and the Deanna Rose Farmstead that serve the entire community. They have a solid system of traditional recreational facilities in Overland Park and outstanding top tier specialty facilities, but more variety is needed across the entire spectrum. They also looked at an aquatics facilities assessment. They did a market analysis of the six City pools including the population and the areas the serve. They also looked at the role of other providers in the aquatics area whether there were condos, homes associations or apartment pools, school district facilities, Blue Valley Recreation Commission facilities, neighboring communities, not-for-profit providers and for-profit providers. They also looked at outdoor aquatics facilities in the surrounding areas. In terms of recreation programs, they researched the satisfaction level with the quality of programs. They found that they have good overall access to a range of programs. Residents within the Blue Valley Recreation Commission boundary had a greater range because they had a dual service. The program needs more special events and outdoor nature-based programming. The Parks Master Plan has five basic chapters including the introduction, the park system needs, the park and facility recommendations, the operations and service recommendations, and the plan implementation. Overland Park has a well designed and maintained park system with greenways and recreation facilities, and they are the central elements in the community's well-being, active lifestyle and identity. These places and the experiences they offer provide wide ranging benefits for residents and visitors while preserving green spaces and strengthening the local economy. A number of goals were created. First, they want to tailor a system to surrounding land use patterns and context. The second goal was to increase the recreation potential of the existing sites. Third, they want to make careful additions to that system. Fourth, they want to make sure they have a diversity of play experiences. The fifth goal was to create a connected network of parks and greenways. Finally, they want to continue to pursue specialized recreation opportunities where appropriate. With regard to the parks, they need some new parks to fill the gaps in Areas 1, 2 and 3. Interest in a signature community park in Area 1 was expressed. They mentioned Johnson County's Antioch Park, or something along that size, which has active and
Page 13 passive opportunities for the users. They want to be sure that new parks are created in undeveloped areas in Area 3. They want to have land and greenways in place to make sure there are connections as those areas are built out in future years. Regarding new facilities, they need new play area improvements throughout Overland Park. Some of the playgrounds are worn and not as up to date as they typically see now. They need more sports fields at neighborhood locations where the younger children can go to practice soccer, lacrosse or other sports. They also want more integration with nature and more natural spaces for the residents. Outdoor facilities could include community gardens, skate and bike parks and features, spray grounds, flexible use areas, and a potential regional outdoor aquatics center in the southern portion of the City. They could also look at a new community recreation center. An indoor ice arena feasibility study was suggested, and they will need to do a feasibility study to see if that is something the City could support. There was a recommendation to update new master plans for all of the various parks within the City. Some of the older playgrounds, especially in the north, need replacement. The sports courts need resurfacing so they have a smooth pavement for basketball and tennis. They need informal sports fields, shelter improvements and additions to existing parks. Restroom improvements are needed, and some parks do not have restroom facilities. A need for parking and entrance improvements was also identified. Another need was to implement the greenway linkages plan, improve safety in areas with missing connections, and identify utility corridors for greenway trail expansions. They also need to integrate flood mitigations in the greenway design, develop primary and secondary trailheads within the trail system, consider multimodal connections and create a way-finding system throughout the City for the greenway trail system. With the aquatic facilities, one option is to keep the status quo. Other options for aquatic facilities were neighborhood outdoor/regional indoor; neighborhood/regional outdoor and regional indoor; or regional outdoor and regional indoor. The aquatics recommendations are for the City to adopt the regional outdoor/regional indoor facilities philosophy. Other providers have a role in providing that type of use within the area. Partnerships should be investigated to see if there is a mutual use that could be established. There is a recommendation for building three regional outdoor pools including Youngs Pool, Tomahawk Pool and a new regional center to the south of 151st Street. They could build an outdoor pool as a part of a recreational center in the southern area. In the future, a fourth outdoor regional pool may be included. The aquatics recommendations are for the regional outdoor/regional indoor pools and for other outdoor pools to be phased out. Roe pool would have approximately one to two years left. Marty pool would still have about three to five years left. Bluejacket pool is in the ten-year range, and Stonegate pool would be phased out over 20 years from now. Other organizations might be able to operate the closed pools. They could also consider spray grounds. There seems to be no need for indoor competitive pools in the City. In terms of operations and service, greenway policies need to be developed so as development is occurring to the south, they coordinate the infrastructure with the developers to get the connections that are vital to getting the neighborhood parks and the greenway expansion. They should look at partnerships and collaborations with many entities, including the school districts, to look at a joint use of their green space. They should continue with a recreational program that meets the needs of the citizens
Page 14 and to make sure that they are paying attention to the ongoing maintenance that is going to be required to keep a high-quality park system. For the parks plan implementation, they have a list of capital improvement projects They have identified approximately $30 million to $35 million worth of improvements to the existing parks system. They also have new parks recommended and a new recreation facility. Prioritization criteria has been provided so they can see where they can get some improvements done quickly. They also have implementation steps. A master plan is needed to guide what they do in the future, and they need to make sure that it is updated on a regular basis. A funding strategy is also needed. In terms of refinements, when they met at the end of 2012 and with the Council in April 2013, they looked at the issue of securing practice space. They added extra text in the report to emphasize the need for more practice space for lacrosse and soccer in the northern portions of the City. These sports continue to gain more players throughout the region. They also need to look at the recommendations for creating a pool decommissioning plan in further detail. They need to budget for these improvements in the CIP and conduct a community process to identify those improvements. They need to time the removal and replacement of the pools to occur so they have as little downtime as possible when those facilities are being removed to turn the park space into another use in the park system. The decommissioning will be based on the end of useful life. When the facility has reached the point where it does not make any sense to spend more public dollars on that facility, that is when the facility should be removed. They also looked at the fees that are used by other jurisdictions. Olathe currently has a one-eighth cent sales tax that is dedicated to park development. Leawood and Lenexa have park impact fees from development. Other cities in the region have similar ways of funding park improvements. They were asked to identify some quick wins that would be easy to begin, so they could keep the momentum going. One quick win would be to acquire and develop a neighborhood park in Area 3, which is the southernmost portion of the City. They could add a restroom building at Kingston Lake Park, complete the Roe Pool decommissioning plan and implement improvements for that site. Other projects would include building a nature play area, opportunistically completing trail extensions and filling in gaps within the existing system, and improving at least one field area to support soccer use. They could replace one shelter with a new standard shelter that will be used throughout the system and add a new type of recreation feature to a park, such as a bike skills court, spray ground or bocce court. Finally, they could work with the Shawnee Mission School District on a Memorandum of Understanding to clarify how the two entities could work together on using the open space they have for recreational uses across the City. Chair Thacker opened the public hearing on the Parks Master Plan. Ms. Gwendolyn Towle, 7601 Marty, said that she lives in the vicinity of the Marty Pool. She asked if anything is proposed for that land if the pool is removed such as a park or restrooms. Mr. Mike Jones, 14004 Hayes, was a member of the committee that developed the Parks Master Plan. The Parks and Recreation system is a great resource for their community. In the needs assessment, it was identified that they need an indoor ice sports facility to address the demand that was created by the closing of a private
Page 15 facility formerly known as Pepsi Ice Midwest. There are hundreds of youth hockey players, figure skaters, curling players and recreational skaters that are without a place to use for these purposes. The needs assessment identified an indoor ice facility as something to look into, but it was carved out as a separate item for further study in terms of the economic impact and feasibility. He was here to ask that as a part of the ongoing Master Plan, a study be considered to investigate the economic positives of putting that kind of facility in Overland Park. Ms. Laura Adair, 10401 Barton, stated that she takes her children to all of the City pools. She has a community garden plot, and she is a member of the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center and the Matt Ross Community Center. Ms. Adair was excited about the Parks Master Plan because Overland Park parks are nice and plentiful, but they are boring. She was excited that there would be more connectivity with the trail system. Ms. Adair expressed concern about the pools. Several options were available, and the decision was made to support the regional outdoor/regional indoor option for the pools. The neighborhood and regional outdoor/regional indoor option was her preference. They chose to live to the north of I-435 rather than the affluent neighborhood of Blue Valley, because they wanted to be in an area where their children would see a variety in how people live. They also wanted to stay where the pools were. With the option that was chosen, they will no longer be able to walk or bike to any of the pools. To the south of I-435, the homes are more affluent and the homes associations have pools. To the north of I-435, the neighborhoods do not have their own pools. She did not want Roe Pool or Marty Pool to be closed, and she was surprised to hear that Bluejacket Pool would also be closed. The neighborhood pools help to build the character of a community. That type of recreational activity is needed in the summer. She feared that if they close the small pools to the north of I-435, the home values will decrease. While Ms. Adair liked the overall Parks Master Plan, she did not like the aquatics portion of the plan. She asked that the neighborhood pools be kept open. Since no one else wished to speak, the hearing was closed. In response to the public hearing comments, Director of Parks Services Greg Ruether stated that the expected timeline for Marty Pool to stay in place is three to five years. As they mentioned in their final document, they are considering the useful life of the pools. That was a range that was suggested by their outside consultant and staff. It has to do with the age of the pool, the amenities and how it meets current standards. Once that time has passed, they will look at the pool to see if it is feasible to continue operating that pool. If the pool is removed, there is a decommissioning plan to look at the property that would include some public involvement from the neighbors and other interested parties on what they would like to see in that park. It will probably not be a pool, but they want to provide a useful recreational amenity. Regarding the indoor ice sports arena, Mr. Jones was on their steering committee and he gave a lot of input. There was a lot of support for an indoor ice facility on their questionnaire responses. He was familiar with Pepsi Ice Midwest and the interest in that facility. They would have to look at the facility from an economic standpoint based on their resources and the cost to operate it. They could talk with the City Manager's Office and the Council about having that study if the Master Plan is adopted.
Page 16 Regarding Roe pool, a plan for one to two years was identified based on its useful life. That is their oldest pool, and it is in the worst condition of the City pools. They have been operating it as best they can for the last few years, but it has reached the end of its useful life span. If it is decided that Roe pool is to be closed, they will go through a decommissioning plan, which will involve public input on what could be in that location whether it is a spray park or another amenity. Regarding the regional pool concept versus the neighborhood pools, economics is a factor. Another consideration is the efficient use of City resources in going forward. When they talk about an outdoor aquatics center, it will have many features that will attract a variety of people. The neighborhood pool concept is something that they started a number of years ago, in part, by acquiring old neighborhood association pools. Whether they will continue that is a difficult decision. Based on the recommendations and what they have observed over the years, it is probably a better choice to consolidate some of those resources for better operations in the long term. If the pools are closed, they will put some other uses in those parks to provide a recreational amenity for the neighborhoods. There will be another public hearing during the Council meeting next Monday. Mr. Reitzes asked if they were to build a neighborhood pool today, what it would cost. Mr. Ruether replied that the Stonegate pool cost between $4 million to $5 million. That is what was estimated to replace Roe pool, so it is not an insignificant investment, and that is for a neighborhood pool. Mr. John Brake stated that this is an excellent plan that was created with a lot of input from the community. The regional pools have a lot to offer. However, he thought that they were making a mistake to close the neighborhood pools. Families enjoy the neighborhood pools. A lot of families with younger children do not like to go to the larger pools because they feel that they cannot keep good control of their children in that setting. A neighborhood pool is a significant quality of life benefit for people in Overland Park, and they consider those amenities when they move here. This is an economic issue, and he felt that they should be saving money some way other than closing the neighborhood pools. Mr. Flanagan noted that they have had several opportunities to consider and comment on the plan. He thought that it is an excellent plan, and he complimented those who worked on the plan. Mr. Flanagan moved to recommend to the Council approval of the Parks Master Plan with no stipulations. Mrs. Sorensen seconded the motion. Chair Thacker thanked all those who were involved with the Master Plan. It is an exciting development for the City, and this is the kind of instrument that will help to guide some growth and make an impact on the quality of life in the City. The motion carried with a vote of 8 to 2 with Mr. Brake and Mr. Tom Lance voting nay.