An MPD Plan for the Country Club Plaza, plans to convert two Walgreens in Blue Hills and Rockhill to new uses, and an illegally-operating event venue in Columbus Park.
- Blue Hills
- Columbus Park
- Country Club Plaza
- Martin City
- Northland
- Riverfront Industrial Area
- Rockhill
- South KC
- Southmoreland
- Ward Parkway Plaza
City Plan Commission
Wednesday, November 19th at 9am
The City Plan Commission was attended this week by Commissioners Forestine Beasley, Matt Hasek, Betsy Lynch, Tyler Enders, Luis Padilla, and Todd Forbes.
CD-CPC-2025-00171 requested approval of a project plan for Holly Farms, 3rd Plat in a R-7.5 zoning district and located south of North Holly Street and Northwest 106th Street in the Northland.
This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.
CLD-FnPlat-2025-00018 requested approval of a Final Plat in zoning districts UR (Urban Redevelopment) and M3-5 (Manufacturing) on about 28 acres and located at the southeast corner of East 135th Street and Wornall Road in Martin City, allowing for the creation of 3 lots and 6 tracts for a residential and commercial development known as Tilden Station.
This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.
CD-CPC-2025-00141 requested approval of amendments to Section 88-354 regarding hours of operation for dispensary facilities. Staff Planner Sara Copeland and Councilman Crispin Rea presented this item to the Commission.
These amendments would allow dispensaries that are more than 1000 ft from a residential zoning district to stay open 24/7, subject to a special use permit (SUP), with a duration of five years for each SUP. As of right now, this amendment would only be applicable for two existing dispensaries in the city.
The Commission moved to recommend approval of this item.
CD-CPC-2025-00164 requested approval of a rezoning from B4-5 (Heavy Business) to MPD (Master Planned Development), along with an associated Development Plan and amendment to the Plaza Bowl Overlay District, for the site located at 4710 Jefferson St in the Country Club Plaza. Staff Planners Ahnna Nanoski and Matthew Barnes along with members of the applicant team Roxsen Koch and Jim McClure – Polsinelli, Dustin Bullard and Chris Harren – Gillon Property Group, presented this item to the Commission.
NOTE: This item was deliberately planned for continuance to December 17th ahead of the meeting Wednesday, so that the applicant team could revise the MPD Plan taking into account the Commission’s and the public’s testimonies.
As part of the proposed MPD, the applicant team had produced a design guidelines document that outlines elements such as building height and form, streetscapes, signage, lighting, and transparency (amount of windows or glazing on a building’s facade). This document is publicly available as an attachment to this item on the Compass KC website. Click on the hyperlink for this case to see the associated attachments. Please note, this document is subject to alterations prior to final approval.
The applicant team explained that their goals with this MPD were to preserve the Plaza’s historic character while also facilitating compatible new development. The MPD seeks to address bicycle and pedestrian access and safety, adding more street trees and dedicating more right-of-way to non-motorized travel. In addition, while most parking space will be retained, the applicants stated that they are proposing to replace the parking garage at 301 W 47th St with public green space. The quality of existing parking is also of concern, they said, and several of the existing garages need to be updated for contemporary use. The applicants were adamant, however, that they were not asking for road closures or full pedestrianization of any streets.
Related, however, was their request for the City to vacate the sidewalks within the proposed MPD. This would allow the Plaza owners to update or maintain them to the standards they put forth. Commissioners Forbes, Lynch, and Beasley voiced concerns over this, however, as it takes regulatory power away from the City and does not guarantee good stewardship should ownership change hands.
This MPD also seeks to bring a mix of uses to the Plaza, including office, hotel, and residential, which requires a greater degree of density in the area. In order to accomplish this, the applicant team was also proposing an amendment to the height restrictions for several properties within the proposed MPD district. Details regarding the proposed amendment are available in the guidelines document, but put simply the applicant team was proposing a “stepback” or “wedding cake” model for buildings as they approach taller heights. Stepbacks are architectural recesses, like steps, where upper floors are set back from the lower ones.
Several community members voiced concerns over the proposed height amendments for the disparate scale and massing they may bring to the Plaza’s existing character. Among them were Dominique Davidson (representing the Kansas City Chapter of the American Institute of Architects), Amelia McIntire (Plaza/Westport Neighborhood Association), Kate Marshall (CEO of Plaza District Council), and Vicky Noteis (President, Historic KC). While they voiced support for the new Plaza owners, they urged City Staff and the City Plan Commission to further review the proposals on height prior to making their final recommendation.
The applicant team also explained the review process for new buildings within the proposed MPD. Essentially, any development of significant impact, would require a review process that allows for public input. More specifically, any new development that adds square footage would be required to go through the following processes:
- Up to 8,000 sq ft: site plan review
- 8,000 – 40,000 sq ft: project plan review
- 40,000+ sq ft: final plan review
The Commission moved to continue this item to December 17th without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday. Further alterations to the MPD proposal are anticipated and public testimony will be taken at the following meeting.
CD-CPC-2025-00172 requested approval of a major amendment to the Twin Creeks development plan to expand the allowed uses for the site (located at 8601 N Madison Avenue in the Northland) to permit those uses allowed under B3-2 zoning. Approval of this major amendment would also act as a special use permit for Lot 6 of the site to allow for Motor Vehicle Repair. Staff Planner Larisa Chambi and Patricia Jensen – Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C., a representative for the applicant, presented this item to the Commission.
The Commission inquired about whether the applicant had performed a market analysis of the surrounding area, given that there are several existing auto-uses in the vicinity. Ms. Jensen stated that the applicant had not, as they were not required to for this request.
The Commission moved to recommend approval of this item with little further deliberation.
CD-CPC-2025-00180 and CD-CPC-2025-00182 requested approval of a rezoning from District UR to B4-5 and an associated Development Plan for the site located at the northeast corner of East 63rd Street and Troost Avenue in the Blue Hills neighborhood. Staff Planner Matthew Barnes and Patricia Jensen – Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C., a representative for the applicant, presented these items to the Commission.
The subject site hosts a vacant Walgreen’s pharmacy, which the applicant is seeking to convert to a laundromat. Only minor physical changes to the site are anticipated.
The Commission moved to recommend approval of this item.
CD-CPC-2025-00181 and CD-CPC-2025-00183 requested approval of a rezoning from District UR to District B4-5 and an associated Development Plan for the site located at the northwest corner of Troost Avenue and Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard in the Rockhill neighborhood. Staff Planner Matthew Barnes and Patricia Jensen – Rouse Frets White Goss Gentile Rhodes, P.C., a representative for the applicant, presented these items to the Commission.
The subject site, like in the previous case, hosts a vacant Walgreen’s pharmacy, which the applicant is seeking to convert to an electronics supplier. The supplier will sell retail and wholesale electronic equipment. Only minor physical changes to the site are anticipated.
The Commission moved to recommend approval of this item.
CD-CPC-2025-00154 and CD-CPC-2025-00153 requested approval to amend to the Shoal Creek Community Master Plan booklet and text in accordance with 88-255-09-B to update the review and approval process and to revise the alignment of a collector street on about 1,756 acres generally located between NE 96th Street/ NE Shoal Creek Parkway on the north, NE 76th Street on the south, N. Flintlock Road on the east and Shoal Creek Parkway and I-435 on the west in the Northland. Staff Planner Genevieve Kohn-Smith and Brett Haugland – Continental Consulting Engineers, Inc., a representative for the applicant, presented these items to the Commission.
The purpose of the road re-alignment was to address a creek crossing, steep slope, and stream buffer which have been challenging for development. Mr. Haugland explained that there had been a desire for a north-south connection between 76th St and 82nd Ter for some time.
The Commission moved to recommend approval of this item.
CD-CPC-2025-00160 requested approval of a rezoning from District UR to District B2-2 for the site located at the southeast corner of Troost and East 5th Street in the Columbus Park neighborhood. Staff Planner Justin Smith and Matt Nichols – Harmony Property Holdings, a representative for the applicant, presented this item to the Commission.
Mr. Smith explained that the purpose of the UR zoning designation had been required for tax abatement to build a photography studio. However, the property has been operating as an entertainment venue and therefore violates the UR plan. This rezoning was being requested to ameliorate this violation.
Mr. Nichols, the property owner, who does operate the space as a photography studio, explained that he started operating the space a few years ago as a small event space for private dinners, birthday parties, etc. The capacity limit he sets for events has been 100 people.
Several community members from the Columbus Park neighborhood gave public testimony in opposition to this rezoning. They expressed concern about nuisances related to the property being operating as an event space, including late-night noise, fireworks, and serving of alcoholic beverages without a liquor license.
The Commission moved to recommend denial of this item.
CD-CPC-2025-00165 requested approval of a rezoning from R-7.5 to R-1.5 to abate issues related to work done without building plans/permits for the site located at 3319 Red Bud Dr in South KC. Staff Planner Ahnna Nanoski and the applicant, Luis Soto, presented this item to the Commission.
The subject property was converted from a single-family house to a triplex without building plans or permits. The property owner was seeking a rezoning to abate this violation.
Mr. Soto explained that in his correspondence with neighbors, he discovered that the subject property had been operating as a triplex for several decades (he acquired the property in 2017) without any difficulty or concern to traffic, noise, or other nuisances. No neighboring property owners expressed any concern with approval of this item, instead submitting letters of support to the City. The three units are occupied, one by the owner. Were this item to be denied, it would unhouse two of the three tenants and may reduce the property value of the site.
The Commission instead offered a special use permit for the site, so that the site not need to be rezoned. This would allow the property to operate as a triplex, but would not set a precedent for other properties in the vicinity, or allow more intense uses were the existing structure to be demolished and replaced.
The Commission moved to recommend approval of this item with the condition that the rezoning be changed to a special use permit.
CD-ROW-2025-00035 requested approval of a vacation of a condominium plat (Knightbridge Business Center) in a B1-1 zoning district located at 5300 Longview Road in the South KC neighborhood.
This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.
CD-ROW-2025-00038 requested approval of a vacation of a condominium plat in a R-2.5 zoning district located at the northwest corner of East 41st Street and Locust Street in the Southmoreland neighborhood.
This item was on the Commission’s Consent Agenda and was recommended for approval with little deliberation.
CD-CPC-2025-00174, CD-CPC-2025-00167, and CD-SUP-2025-00040 requested approval of an amendment to the Country Club/Waldo Area Plan from Office/Residential to Mixed Use Community and approval of a rezoning from zoning districts B1-1, B3-2, and R-0.5 to zoning district B2-2 to allow for a Culver’s on the site located at 7953 State Line Road in the Ward Parkway Plaza neighborhood.
The Commission moved to continue these items to January 21st without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.
CD-ROW-2025-00036 requested approval to vacate a portion of public right-of-way of about 35,000 square feet generally located on North Olive Street between Rochester Avenue and Nicholson Avenue in the Riverfront Industrial District.
The Commission moved to continue this item to December 17th without fee, ahead of the meeting, Wednesday.
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.
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