Planning commission reviews duplex/triplex/quadplex survey; housing committee asks staff to draft text amendments

The State of Topeka Planning Commission on Wednesday reviewed results of a short survey about allowing duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes in single‑family zoning districts and heard public comment before the housing committee asked staff to prepare ordinance text amendments.

Staff reported 405 total survey responses and said most came from central Topeka neighborhoods. For duplexes, about 61 percent of respondents favored allowing them either by right or with standards/conditional review; 39 percent opposed allowing duplexes in single‑family districts. For triplexes and fourplexes, 47 percent favored allowing them and 53 percent opposed.

Why it matters: the commission’s housing committee is considering land‑use changes intended to expand smaller‑scale multifamily options that staff and the governing body’s housing study identified as helping provide additional workforce and moderate‑income housing.

Survey findings and neighborhood concerns

Staff explained the survey was brief and open Jan. 27–28 and that 405 people responded; not all respondents answered every question. The presentation noted respondents skewed older (a plurality were 65 and older) and were concentrated in central Topeka census tracts.

Design and conversion concerns were prominent: when asked whether design should be a consideration, 75 percent said yes. Staff and several neighborhood speakers emphasized worry about conversions of older single‑family homes to multiple units, potential increases in rental tenure, parking and changes to neighborhood character. Mike, a city planning staff member, told the commission the housing study motivates the work: the plan’s aim is to expand options that may yield more workforce housing and moderate‑income units.

Public comment

Two residents spoke in favor of pursuing expanded housing choices but urged outreach and safeguards. Jackson, a resident, said the city should address neighborhood concerns and “share the benefits to existing residents of single family housing” and added, “if it's to code, then I feel like people should be able to build what they want, generally speaking.”

Mark Galbraith, speaking for Elmhurst neighborhood experience, described a past downzoning and the neighborhood’s preference for protecting single‑family character. Galbraith said the neighborhood’s homes are often the residents’ largest financial asset, calling that stability important: “the value of their home is the biggest financial asset they have.”

Housing committee recommendation and next steps

The housing committee reported a consensus to ask staff to prepare text amendments that would:

- Allow duplexes as a permitted use in R1 and R2 residential districts subject to a set of design standards for both new construction and conversions; and - Treat triplexes and fourplexes as conditional uses in R1 and R2, subject to standards that address new construction and conversions and that recognize special processes where historic‑district or neighborhood‑plan protections already apply.

Committee members said staff should draft the specific ordinance language and standards and return to the committee and full commission for review and public hearing. Committee members also said staff will pursue outreach steps, including briefing council committees and inviting outside multifamily developers to discuss market conditions that affect whether developers build in Topeka.

Staff cautioned the process will require multiple steps, including committee review, drafting text amendments, Planning Commission vetting and public hearings before any change becomes effective.

Votes and procedural actions

Commissioners agreed to waive the staff notification deadline to allow additional residents to provide public comment at the meeting; that waiver passed by voice vote. The commission did not adopt any land‑use text changes at this meeting.

What’s next

Staff will draft proposed text amendments and design standards and will return to the housing committee and the full Planning Commission for further discussion and for a public hearing once the draft language is complete.