Lenexa commission approves revised plan for 300+ apartments and duplexes

Changes made to a planned multifamily residential development in Lenexa gained unanimous approval from the city’s planning commission this week.

The Lenexa Planning Commission on Monday voted 7-0 to approve rezoning and a preliminary plat for The Residences at Woodsonia, a development between Woodsonia Drive and Monticello Road. Commissioners Cara Wagner and Mike Burson were absent.

The project was remanded at the Jan. 14 City Council meeting at the request of the developer, Jason Swords, founder of the Kansas City-based Sunflower Development Group. He wanted to propose erecting duplexes instead of townhomes on the south portion of the development to get a better-proportioned project. The new plan for the project calls for the same density of 10 three-story apartment buildings containing 240 units total and 62 duplex residential building units.

Sunflower Development Group seeks rezoning of the property from agricultural to two-family residential for the townhomes and high-density residential for the apartments. The two sections would be divided by 86th Street, a public street that will be built out as part of the development. It will still include shared amenities, such as a clubhouse, pool, dog park and pickleball courts. The townhomes will also have garages.

Notification of the change to the development was sent to the neighboring Watercrest Landing Homeowner’s Association, who previously supported the plans before it was remanded.

“I re-presented this plan to the neighborhood via email, I answered a number of questions,” Swords said. “I asked them if they would like to have another meeting and they said, no, they did not need another meeting at this time.”

Jason Spengel, general manager of Powder Creek Shooting Park, which is also located near the development, said he was satisfied with the way Swords has been communicating with his business.

“We’re not necessarily thrilled that there’s 600 people moving in across the street from us, but we are supportive of everything that Mr. Jason has done thus far,” he said.

During its vote for the previous plans in December 2023, the commission approved it with 7-1 vote, with Chairperson Chris Poss in dissent. This time, they were all onboard. “It actually looks like a complete project at this point in time,” Poss said.

Commissioner Don Horine also commented that, when compared to the previous plans for the project, it felt like a complete project. “I kind of liked the idea originally of the townhomes,” he said. “But the project, looking at it then, looked unfinished … I like the change to the new plan with the duplex units.”

The plan and rezoning will be taken up by Lenexa City Council at 7 p.m. March 19.

If the project moves forward from there, then the plan is to begin construction on the apartments in late 2024 and the townhomes in 2025, Swords said.

Read the original article by Andrew Gaug at the Johnson County Post.