By Stephanie Edwards
Tribune Reporter
The Planning Commission met in regular session on February 28 where they considered two agenda items for a proposed development, called Creekside at Raintree, located at the southeast corner of SW Raintree Drive and SW Raintree Parkway. The first proposal would change the zoning classification for the approximately 16 acres located there from CP-2 commercial zoning to R-1, residential zoning to clear the way for the single-family homes the developer, Landrock Development, LLC, would like to construct.
Speaking for the developer. William Neds of HDR explained the application to rezone the area. “Their intent is to rezone from planned community commercial, CP-2, to single-family residential, which is R-1,” Neds said. The change would support the construction of 31 single family residential homes. “The proposed lot density and the unit sizes are comparable to that of the adjacent Raintree residential neighbors, west and north of the site,” he said.
The commission approved the rezoning. Hector Soto, Jr. explained that the commercial designation was original to the property when it was annexed to the City of Lee’s Summit back in 1976.
Following the approval of the rezoning, the commission considered approval for the preliminary plat for the 31 lots proposed in the development.
Commissioner Colene Roberts questioned the layout of the plots in relationship to the property on the east side of the proposal. The proposal would, she explained, cut off parcels of land and limit the access to Raintree Drive or Raintree Parkway. “I don’t like to limit those parcels that are squeezed up against 291 Highway so that their only access is off the highway,” she said. “That’s very poor planning. We don’t really want a lot of ingress/egress from the highway.”
Mr. Neds, representing the developer, asked Roberts for clarity on which of the parcels that sit outside of the city limits she was referring.
“All of them,” Roberts said.
The original developer of the Raintree Lake properties, Paul Roberts, addressed the commission and assured that the property owners were okay with their access being cut off. “They always wanted exclusion from Raintree Lakes,” he said. “There is no need for a road.”
But, Commissioner Roberts pointed out, property changes hands. “There is no telling what could happen in the long term,” she said. She gave the example of when the Missouri Department of Transportation chose to widen 291 Highway there, and there is no access, then those properties get put on a blight map.
The owner of Landrock Development addressed the commission with assurances that the access would not be desirable in that location anyway due to a large creek that runs through it. He said access through the church on the other side would be a better option.
A motion was made and the preliminary plat for Creekside at Raintree was approved.
