Roxie Hammill  - Overland Park

Commission OKs revised Schlagel Farms plan in south Overland Park

An updated rendering of part of the residential section of the Schlagel Farms proposal in south Overland Park. Image courtesy Studio951.

A revised plan to develop 74 acres of undeveloped land at the southeast corner of 175th Street and Pflumm Road with multi-family units and commercial space got the blessing of the Overland Park Planning Commission on Monday.

The proposed Schlagel Farms project, which had been continued from the May planning commission meeting, got rezoning approval after developers made adjustments that shifted the density — a sticking point with neighbors and some commissioners.

Density is reduced in revised plan

Schlagel Farms envisions 300 multi-family units, 153 villas and 128,660 square feet of commercial space in an area that is currently zoned for lower density rural residential use.

After the commission deferred action on the request in May, the development team redrew the plans, shifting the more populated, four-story buildings toward the center of the project and reducing some building heights along 175th Street to three stories.

They also reconfigured space to create more green space.

In the end, density was reduced  from the original 21.08 units per acre to 16.94.

An updated aerial map of the proposed site plan for Schlagel Farms, with Pflumm Road running along the western (leftmost) border and 175th Street bending around on the north (uppermost) side. Image via Overland Park Planning Commission documents.

Plan is still denser than city guidelines

That was still too dense for planning department staff, who said the city’s comprehensive plan called for 12.4 units per acre.

But although some planning commissioners still had concerns about the density, the majority voted to allow the rezoning.

Commissioner Thomas Robinett said the changes were an improvement and it made sense for the more populated areas to be closer to the center and further from the single-family neighborhoods bordering the edges.

Commissioner Edward Reitzes said the planning goals are essentially met by the revised plan and that sticking strictly to the density numbers would not improve the project.

There is enough walkability and green space that it meets the requirements of a mixed use project.

What happens next

The item will be up for discussion at the Aug. 7 City Council meeting.

Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who reports frequently for the Post and other Kansas City area publications. You can reach her at roxieham@gmail.com.