As of May-20-2024 there are three places to better understand the current zoning plans in Prairie Village Kansas, as well as how they differ from today. After the links below you’ll see my understanding and summary.

• Pages 8 - 72 from meetings of the May 7th 2024 Planning Commission Agenda
• Current Zoning Laws
• Summary of changes as of April 8, 2024

First it’s good to take a look at our current zones:

Things I notice looking at these zones:

• R1-A and R1-B are most of what we have in Prairie Village
• MXD zoning only exists in Meadowbrook
• The 3 main areas impacted with Commercial changes are

PV Shops – “Standard Commercial”

Mostly C-2 with a little C-0 across the street.

Corinth Square – “Blended Commercial”

A decent mix of zones. Largely C-2 with some existing C-0. A little bit of C-1 and a smattering of residential zones at the edges.

89th & 90th Street near Franklin Park – “Neighborhood Commercial”

This setup is interesting, like a sandwich. The north “bun” is C-2, CP-1, and a sliver of C-0. The south “bun” is C-2 and C-1, with a sliver of C-0. The middle of the sandwich is RP-1A (residential).

What exists today?

Essentially the R-* districts allow building of houses/apartments/condos etc. for folks to live in. Each of the R-* having their own minor differences with what can be built. Something that is not well known is C-0 (a commercial zone) already allows for residential building _today_ provided it meets the residential requirements that already exist, for the building type. For example if a single family home is built on C-0 it must adhere to the R1-A single family zoning requirements.

Here’s a nice chart from the existing codes.

This chart tells us that zones C-1 and C-2 are the only zones that do not currently allow for residential use.

Existing height requirements for C-2 is 35ft

What is changing?

Looking at the minutes from May 7th on page 47

We see the gist of the proposed changes:

There are also a some “changes” around front yard, side yard, and rear yard sizes. Generally our existing codes are the same or very close to the same with regards to the size of these 3 areas.

Maximum height is the other part “changing”. However, it’s not really changing. Both current and proposed limit to 35 feet. With the ability to file plans with the planning commission (same as today) to get an exemption.

The main change I see is in the C-2 type to allow for residential use. Page 72 19.20.010. part d states the following:

(d) Residential uses shall be limited to dwelling units on upper stories above ground level commercial uses, or less than 50% of the ground floor and located behind ground-level commercial uses.

Note for C-0 type, the existing R-* zoning requirements must be met to build residential use. Page 45 19.16.035020.

Any residential building constructed or located in this district shall comply with the height, yard and area regulations of the district corresponding to that dwelling type. Single family dwellings and group homes shall comply with District R-1; two family dwellings shall comply with District R-2; garden apartment buildings shall comply with District R-3.

What does this mean for Prairie Village?

Honestly – minor changes to the code. The buildings can’t be larger than they are today. Added residential must adhere to existing R-* zoning requirements. And residential added to C-2 must adhere to green space requirements of C-2 zoning.

You may be asking – What about parking? Well, as far as I can tell there are no changes to the codes for that. This means they’ll fall under our current parking codes. Given the 3 areas potentially impacted, there is plenty of existing unused parking.

Ultimately I’m hopeful these changes make it easier for different incomes and vocations to live in Prairie Village.

I want to illustrate why affordable housing is important. Our police officers are paid $57K - $85K per year. The median home price here in town is $502,000. $401,600 is the loan you’ll get for that home. (20% down payment). That’s a $2,808 monthly payment. Assuming a $70K salary, you’ll take home $53,000 after taxes. Total mortgage payments for the year are $33,696. After paying only your mortgage that leaves $19,304 to pay for everything else. Looking at an article from 2023 it’ll be roughly $1,000 per month for groceries for a family of 4. That then means this family of four, supported by a Prairie Village police officer only has $7,000 left (for the entire year) to pay for:

• Clothes
• School supplies
• Electricity
• Internet
• Vehicles

Hopefully you get the point now – we need to allow for these zoning changes so we can better support our public servants.