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Record of Proceedings

Planning Commission Meeting on 2025-07-14: Zoning Amendment and Comprehensive Plan Update

City Council — Monday, July 14, 2025
BodyOlathe, Kansas
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, July 14, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:06

Good evening.

0:06

Like to call tonight's meeting to order.

0:09

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance, please.

0:12

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:17

And to the Republic.

0:19

For which it stands.

0:20

One nation under God.

0:22

Indivisible.

0:23

With liberty and justice for all.

0:31

As we begin our meeting this evening, I'll take a moment to acknowledge that we have a quorum of planning commissioners here with hey, everybody's here.

0:38

Nine out of nine commissioners.

0:40

Welcome.

0:41

Thanks to everyone in the chamber for attending as well.

0:44

Planning commission meetings are an important part of the process of interpreting and applying the city's comprehensive plan and unified development ordinance.

0:52

It's important that our meetings are conducted with dignity and respect that applies to every person in attendance.

0:58

We strive to provide an atmosphere where the ideas and opinions of all participants are held in the highest regard.

1:04

Finally, the actions of the issues we discuss are ultimately under the responsibility of the city council.

1:10

As a planning commission, we're here to help the council as our elected representatives to be fully informed to make the best choices for our city.

1:19

By statute, the planning commission strives not to engage with any party on the issues prior to our meeting.

1:26

Should that interaction take place as a result of a business relationship or any other interaction, which we refer to as ex parte communication, commissioners will report that interaction interaction when we reach that item on the agenda.

1:40

We'll now move on to the consent agenda.

1:42

And this evening we have one item on the consent agenda.

1:46

Commissioners, did you need any additional information on this particular issue?

1:54

Seeing none, I'll call for a motion on the consent agenda.

2:00

Uh Mr.

2:01

Chair, I'll move to approve the consent agenda.

2:03

Thank you, Commissioner Breen.

2:04

Do I have a second?

2:05

Second.

2:06

Thank you, Commissioner Corgan.

2:07

All those in favor say aye.

2:09

Aye.

2:10

Opposed nay.

2:11

And that motion motion passes nine to zero.

2:16

Move on this evening to our regular agenda, and we have one scheduled public hearing.

2:22

The public hearing is a request for approval of a zoning amendment within the Sunnybrook Development, southwest of College Boulevard and South Lone Elm Road.

2:31

Mr.

2:31

Jury is here to present the case.

2:33

Welcome, Nathan.

2:35

Chair and the zone.

2:43

There we go.

2:44

All right.

2:47

Uh or sorry, Nathan Jerry, senior planner.

2:49

Um before you tonight uh is a request for a zoning amendment to ordinance 0525 for the Sunnybrook development to allow monument signs for individual businesses.

3:02

Um this is uh little bit of an abnormal case uh in the fact that there are actually 12 property owners that have signed and joined on to this request.

3:11

Um so I just want to provide a little bit of background on to the the reason why um that was.

3:16

So I I I do want to commend Mark McKenzie, the applicant um with Sunnybrook Management LLC for wrangling the 12 owners and getting them all to sign the required documents and be part of this application.

3:28

Um but in in essence, um Mark uh reached out to every property owner in uh the Sunnybrook shops development.

3:37

Um out of that the 12 um owners, everyone everyone except um two uh responded and wanted to join this request for the zoning amendment.

3:48

Um together there were 12 owners, um and the property owned by those twelve owners are highlighted in yellow on your screen.

3:55

Uh it's approximately 74 acres and 16 separate properties located southwest of College and Lone Elm Road.

4:05

Uh the site was uh zoned and is currently in the BP Business Park and the CP2 Commercial Plan District zoning um areas and are subject to the stipulations of ordinance 0525.

4:20

Uh the site is across the street from the Alatha Innovation Park as well as some of the Aletha public schools to the north.

4:28

And uh there are several churches uh to the uh east as well as the south and residential zoning um on the other remaining sides as well.

4:40

Um the applicant is requesting to zone rezone or a zoning amendment to that ordinance 0525 as stated previously.

4:49

Um to fully understand this request.

4:51

I do want to provide a little bit of history as to um what ordinance 0525 was and and where it started.

5:00

Um so uh first off, um in 1998, the site was originally zoned to the BP and the CP2 districts.

5:07

Um this did include a shopping center with two PAD sites.

5:10

Um as part of that ordinance, there was a stipulation that prohibited individual monument signs for businesses in favor of major complex signs for the three lots um shown on the right hand top right hand area of your screen.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Land Use Planning█████████████████████████████████████████████47%
Public Engagement██████████████████████23%
Procedural████████████13%
Community Engagement██████6%
Economic Development████4%
Affordable Housing██2%
Transportation Safety██2%
Active Transportation██2%
Technology and Innovation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Planning Commission Meeting on 2025-07-14

The Olathe Planning Commission convened on July 14, 2025, at 1:00 PM UTC. All nine commissioners were present. The meeting included approval of the consent agenda, a public hearing on a zoning amendment for monument signage at Sunnybrook development, and a discussion on the Elevate Olathe comprehensive plan update. Both agenda items received unanimous support.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda, consisting of routine approvals, was approved unanimously (9-0) without discussion.

Public Hearing: RZ25-0004 – Monument Signage Amendment at Sunnybrook Development

  • Staff (Senior Planner Nathan Jerry) presented a request to amend Ordinance 05-25 to allow individual monument signs for businesses on approximately 74.3 acres (16 properties) southwest of College Boulevard and S. Lone Elm Road. The amendment would remove a restriction that previously prohibited such signs, which originated in 1998 and was carried forward in 2005.
  • The applicant, Mark McKenzie (Sunnybrook Management LLC), coordinated 12 property owners to join the request. Two property owners did not participate.
  • The catalyst for the request was the recently approved Ckeep-alive la Krem School at the site; if approved, a sign permit would be submitted for staff review.
  • Staff recommended approval, noting the development has grown larger than originally anticipated and the request aligns with the Plan Olathe future land use map and policy ES 1.4 (support local businesses).
  • Public notice requirements were met; a neighborhood meeting in June attracted 10 residents, all in favor. Staff fielded inquiries from five residents, with no opposition.
  • During commission discussion, questions were answered about sign design consistency, existing covenants, and the ability for the shopping center to place a major complex sign. No concerns were raised.
  • No members of the public signed up to speak. The public hearing was closed, and the commission voted to approve the zoning amendment (9-0). The item will go to the City Council on August 15, 2025.

Discussion Item: Elevate Olathe Comprehensive Plan Update

  • Kim Hollingsworth (Community Development) provided an update on the comprehensive plan refresh, now about one year into the process. The plan, named Elevate Olathe, will set a vision for the next 15 years.
  • Key components presented:
    • Engagement: Over 3,000 participants to date, including online surveys (850 responses), stakeholder meetings, open houses, and events like the visioning open house (180 attendees). Staff won the 2040 Future Ready Award for volunteer engagement.
    • Key Takeaways from Initial Engagement: Housing was the top priority (affordability, diversity, missing middle). Other themes included redevelopment of vacant spaces (e.g., Great Mall, Santa Fe corridor), commercial/retail enhancement, transportation improvements (K-7, I-35, railroad crossings), bicycle/pedestrian connectivity, preserving parks, and community identity/beautification.
    • Existing Conditions: Population is aging; 75% of Olathe residents commute out of the city for work, while 74% of workers commute into Olathe; high public school enrollment.
    • Plan Structure: Will include chapters on land use, housing, transportation, etc., with vision statements, goals, strategies, and an action matrix.
    • Sub-Area Plans: Seven areas (e.g., 175th Street, Ridgeview/K-10, Santa Fe/Parker) were studied with specific land use and infrastructure recommendations. A steering committee (including Commissioners Berridge and Breen) is guiding then - Future Land Use: A draft future land use map is being developed, expected to be more specific than the current Plan Olatha map. The planning area extends beyond current city limits to the west and south.
    • Timeline: Draft plan document is being written; public open houses are anticipated in early 2026, with a Planning Commission public hearing around March 2026 and City Council adoption around April 2026. A comprehensive UDO update is expected to follow.
  • Commissioners commended staff for extensive outreach and the quality of planning. No formal action was taken; the discussion was informational.

Key Outcomes

  • RZ25-0004: Approved 9-0. The zoning amendment removes the prohibition on individual monument signs for businesses on the participating properties in the Sunnybrook development. The item advances to the City Council.
  • Comprehensive Plan Update: No vote. The commission will receive further updates as the draft plan is developed. A workshop on downtown signage UDO updates is scheduled for July 28, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. Like to call tonight's meeting to order. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance, please. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic. For which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible. With liberty and justice for all. As we begin our meeting this evening, I'll take a moment to acknowledge that we have a quorum of planning commissioners here with hey, everybody's here. Nine out of nine commissioners. Welcome. Thanks to everyone in the chamber for attending as well. Planning commission meetings are an important part of the process of interpreting and applying the city's comprehensive plan and unified development ordinance. It's important that our meetings are conducted with dignity and respect that applies to every person in attendance. We strive to provide an atmosphere where the ideas and opinions of all participants are held in the highest regard. Finally, the actions of the issues we discuss are ultimately under the responsibility of the city council. As a planning commission, we're here to help the council as our elected representatives to be fully informed to make the best choices for our city. By statute, the planning commission strives not to engage with any party on the issues prior to our meeting. Should that interaction take place as a result of a business relationship or any other interaction, which we refer to as ex parte communication, commissioners will report that interaction interaction when we reach that item on the agenda. We'll now move on to the consent agenda. And this evening we have one item on the consent agenda. Commissioners, did you need any additional information on this particular issue? Seeing none, I'll call for a motion on the consent agenda. Uh Mr. Chair, I'll move to approve the consent agenda. Thank you, Commissioner Breen. Do I have a second? Second. Thank you, Commissioner Corgan. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed nay. And that motion motion passes nine to zero. Move on this evening to our regular agenda, and we have one scheduled public hearing. The public hearing is a request for approval of a zoning amendment within the Sunnybrook Development, southwest of College Boulevard and South Lone Elm Road. Mr. Jury is here to present the case. Welcome, Nathan. Chair and the zone. There we go. All right. Uh or sorry, Nathan Jerry, senior planner. Um before you tonight uh is a request for a zoning amendment to ordinance 0525 for the Sunnybrook development to allow monument signs for individual businesses. Um this is uh little bit of an abnormal case uh in the fact that there are actually 12 property owners that have signed and joined on to this request. Um so I just want to provide a little bit of background on to the the reason why um that was. So I I I do want to commend Mark McKenzie, the applicant um with Sunnybrook Management LLC for wrangling the 12 owners and getting them all to sign the required documents and be part of this application. Um but in in essence, um Mark uh reached out to every property owner in uh the Sunnybrook shops development. Um out of that the 12 um owners, everyone everyone except um two uh responded and wanted to join this request for the zoning amendment. Um together there were 12 owners, um and the property owned by those twelve owners are highlighted in yellow on your screen.

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