The Lee’s Summit City Council met December 11 to discuss these issues.
Vacation of Right-of-way
A public hearing was held on the vacation of a 140-foot portion of right-of-way located along First Street, adjacent to 101 SW Market St. The applicant, Wineteer Construction, represents Grace Community Church, the property owner at 101 SW Market St. The purpose of the vacation is to revert the excess right-of-way back to the abutting private property so that Grace Community Church can renovate the existing structures within the subject area.
The City Council gave initial approval to the ordinance requesting the vacation of right-of-way.
Unified Development Ordinance Amendments
A public hearing was held on recommended amendments to Articles 2, 5, 7 and 8 of the Unified Development Ordinance. The updates aim to improve readability and process efficiencies within the development review process.
Article 2 Updates
Give the Planning Commission the authority to approve minor modification requests such as landscape buffer locations, parking lot design and mechanical rooftop screening type. This will reduce the review process from 12 weeks to approximately five weeks.
Allow staff to review and approve final development plan extensions if the extension is requested within the 12 months since the original plan approval.
Article 5 Updates
Add language to clarify that the basement and all mechanical, electrical or utility equipment in a residential structure located within a special floodplain hazard area, must be two feet above the base flood elevation.
Article 7 Updates
Include the Planning Commission as an approving authority for modifications.
Article 8 Updates
Remove the metal restriction within the building material requirements for nonresidential structures. Metal may now be allowed up to 40% with additional usage up to 75% allowed by the Planning Commission. Allowance of material beyond this would require City Council approval.
These updates to the Unified Development Ordinance align with several goals of the Ignite! Comprehensive Plan including a plan for purposeful growth, revitalization and redevelopment.
Following the public hearing, the council gave initial approval to an ordinance approving the amendments to the Unified Development Ordinance.
Townhomes of Chapel Ridge
City Council held a public hearing on a rezoning application and preliminary development plan for the Townhomes of Chapel Ridge located at 4060 NE Ralph Powell Road. The developer requested that 3.29 acres be rezoned from single-family to planned single-family and planned residential mixed-use for the development of seven residential villa lots and two two-unit townhome lots.
City Council moved to second reading an ordinance approving the rezoning application and preliminary development plan.
T&W Steel
T&W Steel Corporation presented a Conceptual Economic Development Incentive Request for a facility on 28.5 acres at 1601 SE Hamblen Road. T&W Steel and Co. was founded in Lee’s Summit in 1983 and operates out of a facility at 1612 SW Jefferson St. The new building they request would be 53,600 square feet and offer six new full-time employees.
The developer’s conceptual incentive request includes sales tax exemption on construction materials estimated at $109,710 and a 10-year property tax abatement estimated at $455,943. The total value of the proposed incentive request to the developer is 9.3% or $565,653 of the total project cost of $6.1 million.
The next meeting is December 17.
