Small Scale Development
Overland Park is currently researching options to expand housing options.
This was done as an early potential step to implement goals in Forward OP, the community’s vision, focused on creating more diverse housing options and strengthening the identity of neighborhoods.
Contact
Planner of the Day
913-895-6217
Developing a Plan
In 2019, City staff began working with the Incremental Development Alliance to study the City’s current development ordinances and make recommendations for expanding housing options beyond just apartments and large single-family homes.
City planners, engineers, public safety personnel, and other staff participated in development simulations to review current codes and consider how small scale development projects could work in Overland Park. The Incremental Development Alliance produced a report that outlined several suggestions to increase housing diversity, which City staff presented at the February 2020 Community Development Committee Meeting.
Recommendations for Overland Park
The report identified several development scenarios to potentially diversify housing choices in Overland Park. Ultimately, recommendations include:
- Facilitating development of accessory dwelling units, which provide a second, smaller living unit on the same lot as a single family house, often over a garage, in the backyard, or attached to the main house itself.
- Facilitating development of courtyard subdivisions, or clustered groups of smaller houses that are oriented around a shared open space such as a garden, courtyard, or grove.
- Revising zoning that governs small-scale infill projects, which would allow for construction of modest multifamily property on typical parcels in Overland Park.
- Building a portfolio of pre-approved building plans for higher quality development accessible to all applicants.
- Amending other specific regulations governing approval processes, street width, design standards, parking, setbacks, lot width, and more.
The Community Development committee directed staff to outline steps for implementing the report’s recommendations.
Next Steps
Public hearings and City Council action will be required before implementation of any change governing the City’s development ordinances.
The Community Development committee will review the implementation plan at a future meeting.
Small Scale Development Lectures
During the research process, representatives from the Incremental Development Alliance shared their insights about small-scale development and possible implementation in Overland Park. Those presentations are recorded in the videos below.
Small Scale Development: Expanding Housing Choice in Overland Park
August 13, 2019 at the Overland Park Convention Center
Lecture on the Small Scale Development Movement
November 21, 2019 at Matt Ross Community Center