Allowing an auto repair shop in Indian Mound, a City Code amendment for Marijuana Lounges, and an upcoming hearing on Data Center regulation.
- Blue Hills
- Crossroads
- Indian Mound
- Marlborough
- Martin City
- Northland
- Old Hyde Park
- Red Bridge
- South KC
- Westport
City Plan Commission
Wednesday, August 20th at 9am
The City Plan Commission was attended this week by Chairman Coby Crowl and Commissioners Sean Arkin, Betsy Lynch, Forestine Beasley, Tyler Enders, Todd Forbes, Matt Hasek, and Luis Padilla.
CD-CPC-2025-00126 requested approval of a Project Plan for a pool and clubhouse located in an R-1.5 zoning district at 8712 N Indiana Avenue in the Northland. This construction would be part of the Staley Corners West development. This item was on the Commission’s consent agenda, and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.
CD-CPC-2025-00117 requested approval of a Project Plan for private open space located in zoning districts B2-2 and R-6 at 1007 NW Cookingham Dr in the Northland. This development would be part of the Bristol North Townhomes Project. This item was on the Commission’s consent agenda, and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.
CD-CPC-2025-00087 requested approval of a Master Planned Development (MPD) final plan for a drive-through restaurant located at 9820 N Oak Tfwy in the Northland. The proposed development would be a Popeye’s restaurant. This item was on the Commission’s consent agenda, but was continued to October 1st at the applicant’s request.
CD-CPC-2025-00091 requested approval to rezone the site located at 8625 Troost Ave B in the Marlborough neighborhood from R-2.5 to B1-1 in order to allow for a taller fence with barbed wire, as is laid out in Chapter 27 of the Code of Ordinances, for an existing electrical substation. Staff Planner Ahnna Nanoski and Tyler Burton, a representative for the applicant, Evergy, presented this case to the Commission.
Evergy was requesting this variance to allow a taller fence with barbed wire in order to better protect access to the substation currently on the property. Changing the zoning designation to B1-1 would allow them to construct that fence, but would also allow future low-intensity commercial development, should Evergy ever vacate the property. The Commission moved to recommend approval of this case.
CD-CPC-2025-00109 requested approval to rezone the site located at 3532 Baltimore Ave in the Old Hyde Park neighborhood from R-6 to R-1.5 to allow for the renovation
and conversion of an existing building into a 3-unit house. Staff Planner Justin Smith and Greg Franzen, the applicant representing property owner Del Hedgepath, presented this case to the Commission.
The house on the property had caught fire a few years prior, and the interior had been significantly changed, though the facade remains relatively the same. Many of the surrounding properties are zoned R-1.5 which allows conversion of single family homes to multi-unit dwellings, as opposed to the current zoning, R-6, which only allows that conversion on corner lots. The Commission moved to recommend approval of this case with little deliberation.
CD-ROW-2025-00021 requested approval to vacate about 1,168 square ft of public right-of-way immediately south of the property at 1925 Baltimore Ave in the Crossroads. Staff Planner Justin Smith, City Engineer Nicholas Bosinetto, and applicant Zachary Marten of The Rockhill Grille, presented this case to the Commission.
The section of right-of-way in question is a part of a paved parking pad and extended sidewalk. The property owners have proposed a new restaurant at the site and have proposed this vacation in order to provide ADA Access and an additional landscape buffer. No street parking or existing sidewalks will be impacted with the proposed vacation.
The Commission moved to recommend approval of this case with little deliberation.
CD-CPC-2025-00113 requested approval to rezone the site located at 3947 Broadway Blvd in the Westport neighborhood from UR to B3-2 to allow for a greater number of potential future land uses. Staff Planner Justin Smith and the applicant, Joe Saitta, Saitta Investments, LLC, presented this case to the Commission.
The current zoning for this property (UR) only allows for medical offices on the site. The applicants were seeking to change the zoning to allow for more potential uses when the building is redeveloped. The Commission moved to recommend approval of this case with little deliberation.
CD-CPC-2025-00095, CD-SUP-2025-00027, and CD-CPC-2025-00096 requested approval of a rezoning, a Special Use Permit, and a Project Plan, respectively, for the site located at the southeast corner of Northeast 108th St and Northeast Shoal Creek Pkwy in the Northland, known as Cuda Ridge Residential. Staff Planner Matthew Barnes and applicant Jacob Dobbs, Kaw Valley Engineering, presented this case to the Commission.
These cases were heard on August 20th at the City Plan Commission, but were continued to this week.
The applicant team was seeking to rezone the property from R-7.5 to R-80 to allow them to apply for the aforementioned Special Use Permit, to build a sports field. In addition, the associated Project Plan would allow for the creation of 41 residential lots on the adjacent parcels.
The sports field in question would be for personal residential use only, restricted to the owner and occupant of the parcel the field would be constructed on. Because no residential structures exist on the property, yet, however, a rezoning is required to allow for the field to be developed prior to the building of the house. After clarifying the details of the cases, the Commission moved to recommend approval.
CD-CPC-2025-00099 requested approval of a major amendment to a previously approved MPD plan for Lots 3 and 4 of the properties located at 9790 and 9806 N Oak Tfwy in the Northland to allow for an auto-repair shop with a customer-facing showroom. Staff Planner Genevieve Kohn-Smith and Rachelle Biondo, a representative for the property owner, Jeff Berg, BB North Oak Devco, LLC, presented this case to the Commission.
The current MPD only allows for limited auto repair, while this amendment would expand the allowed use designation to “general auto repair”. The shop would include seven service bays and 30 parking spaces for employees, customers and repaired vehicles or vehicles waiting for service.
The Commission moved to continue this case to September 17 without fee.
CD-CPC-2025-00119 and CD-CPC-2025-00118 requested approval to amend the Truman Plaza Area Plan and approval to rezone, respectively, the site located at 4520 St. John Ave in the Indian Mound neighborhood, for the purpose of permitting a motor vehicle repair shop. Staff Planner Stephanie Saldari and the applicant Choudhry Sheeraz, on behalf of property owners Connie and Craig Delong, presented this case to the Commission.
The subject site has been in operation as a motor vehicle repair and storage facility for some time. This use is not permitted under the current zoning, R-2.5 and the site is not designated as legal-nonconforming, which means the use preceded the zoning designation. In the 1980’s the site was granted a certificate of legal non-conformance (CLN) which permitted a gas station on the site. Some time after, the site was illegally converted to a repair shop, and has been used as such for about the last thirty years. Because of the long-standing use and the services provided by the shop, the neighborhood provided a letter of support for the applicant team’s proposed rezoning.
In order to permit the repair shop, the applicant team was seeking to rezone the site to B3-1 (commercial) and to amend the associated Area Plan to recommend neighborhood mixed-use instead of residential urban low density.
Neighbors provided testimony in support and in opposition of the rezoning. Returning the site to residential urban-low density would be very difficult to do, one neighbor argued, as the site has seen a variety of auto-uses since at least the 1940s. In addition, she echoed the arguments in the letter of support, that the shop has been a long-standing asset for the community. On the other hand, another resident spoke to the condition of this and other facilities owned by the property owner along St. John Ave. He noted that there had recently been one homicide at the location of another of their properties. While he wasn’t opposed to an auto-repair shop at the site, he was concerned that the quality of the shop under present management would not reflect that of previous owners.
The Commission moved to recommend approval of these cases. The applicant must request a Special Use Permit and submit new plans that bring the site to standards for landscaping, placement of stored vehicles, etc.
CD-CPC-2025-00103 requested to approve text amendments to the City’s Chapter 88, Zoning and Development Code, Section 88-354, regarding Marijuana Hospitality Businesses, aka Marijuana Lounges. Staff Planner Sara Copeland presented this case to the Commission.
Marijuana Lounges refers to an establishment, licensed under the provisions of chapter 11, that includes a consumption area where individuals are permitted to consume marijuana. This definition, licensing, application process, and inspections would be added to Chapter 11 of the City Code. In addition, the amendments to Chapter 88 would include a new use category and separation requirements. Before the City Plan Commission was the section of this change regarding Chapter 88, the Zoning and Development Code.
The existing Marijuana Uses under Section 88-354 delineate between exactly what is being done at a given Marijuana facility. These include retail sales (dispensaries), manufacturing, and cultivation (marijuana crop agriculture).
The proposed amendment would create a new marijuana use known as Marijuana Lounge, which would fall under the same regulations as Taverns or Nightclubs. In addition, it would require a separation from other specific uses like schools, churches, daycares, and other marijuana dispensing facilities. These are laid out in the chart below:
In order to allow for Staff to provide a draft of the proposed changes to Chapter 11, and to clarify other details related to the case, the Commission continued this case until September 17.
CD-CPC-2025-00120 requested approval of a major amendment to a previously approved development plan for the site located at 13601 Washington St in the Martin City area. The proposed amendment would expand the permitted uses to include all those allowed under zoning district B3, but would prohibit vehicle sales and repairs except on Lot 2 of the site where there is already an existing auto repair shop. Staff Planner Genevieve Kohn-Smith and applicant Avery Nichols of Confluence, presented this case to the Commission.
The original development plan labeled each lot on the site for a specific tenant, some of which did not end up occupying the space. This amendment cleans up that plan to allow other uses on the property that were restricted by the limited original plan. The Commission moved to approve this amendment with little deliberation.
CD-CPC-2025-00078 requested approval of amendments to Chapter 88, the Zoning and Development Code, including adding use tables in Sections 88-120, 88-130, and 88-140, adding Section 88-353 to establish standards for Large Format Uses, adding Section 88-339 to establish applicable standards for Data Centers, and amending Section 88-800 to establish definitions for the aforementioned proposed amendments.
The Commission moved to continue this case without fee to October 1.
CD-SUP-2025-00018 requested approval of a Special Use Permit in an R-6 zoning district for the site located at 4843 Woodland Ave, in the Blue Hills neighborhood, to allow for Neighborhood Serving Retail in an existing building.
The Commission moved to continue this case off-docket, without fee.
CD-CPC-2025-00111 requested approval of a de-annexation of approximately 4.5 acres located at 2800 N Church Rd, in the Northland, to be subsequently annexed by the City of Liberty, Missouri.
The Commission moved to continue this case without fee to September 17.
CD-CPC-2025-00101 requested approval to rezone the site located at the northwest corner of NW 88th St and N Baltimore Ave from MPD to O to allow for medical offices at the former Metro North Mall in the Northland.
The Commission moved to continue this case without fee to September 17.
CD-CPC-2025-00125 requested approval of an MPD Final Plan to allow for a residential development with 39 buildings and a total of 174 units at the southeast corner of Holmes Rd and E 115th St in the Red Bridge neighborhood.
The Commission moved to continue this case without fee to September 17.
Large Format Uses
As part of the City’s KC Development Code Refresh initiative, Staff is recommending to amend Chapter 88, the Zoning and Development Code, to better define, evaluate and regulate what are known as Large Format Uses. These include large-scale industrial facilities such as warehouses, distribution centers, and data centers that often exceed 500,000 square feet. Part of the concern surrounding these uses are the degree to which they consume land and energy and their often low density of employment.
The City’s proposed Code Update was formulated using precedent from other communities, and may include location requirements for these uses, site design regulations, and requirements for environmental impact mitigation. In the City’s Best Practices report for Large Format Uses (available via the link to the Code Refresh webpage) they lay out some of these proposed requirements.
Among the precedents the City notes are regulations for nuisances caused by these uses. These include limiting noise to a certain decibel level, limiting the degree to which they are allowed to produce particulate matter and odor, and the intensity of lighting at these sites.
Also of great concern is the environmental impact of Large Format Uses. Other outlets such as PBS and MIT News have reported on this issue. Local groups like KCUR, The Beacon, and Missouri Coalition for the Environment have spoken to the effect these facilities have already had on Kansas City, as well.
The City’s Best Practices document for Large Format Uses proposes incentives as well as requirements for developers of these facilities to reduce their impact on the environment and energy. These include stormwater management requirements, wherein site design allows for more permeable surfaces where water can runoff. It also includes requiring solar panels or for buildings to be solar-ready. Other strategies could pertain to light, ventilation, energy conservation, tree protection, and preservation of regulated stream buffers.
The City Plan Commission will hear Staff’s full recommendations on October 1 of this year. For more information and to register to attend, click the link here.
Ben Robinson is the author of This Week at City Hall, and an Urban Planning and Design Student at UMKC. He is a Kansas City native, having lived on both sides of the state line. From a young age, Ben has been interested in neighborhoods, communities, and the built environment, but only discovered the field of Urban Planning in college. He is now committed to a career in the profession, and is excited about using his education to support and grow the city he grew up in.
Leave a Reply