Topeka planners advance proposal to allow duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes by conditional use

The Planning Commission’s housing committee recommended that city code be amended to allow duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes in R‑1 and R‑2 single‑family residential districts only by conditional use permit, a move committee members described as a politically feasible step toward the city’s housing goals.

The recommendation — voted unanimously at the housing committee level and now scheduled for a public hearing before the Planning Commission — would not convert single‑family zoning to multifamily by right. Instead, applications would require an application fee, neighborhood notice (owners within 200 feet), a public hearing, and a development plan tied to any approval, staff said. The committee will present the proposal to the City Council’s Policy and Finance Committee before a public hearing is held; the Planning Commission indicated a hearing will be placed on the next docket for public testimony.

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