Planning commission approves preliminary plat for 2500 O'Connell Road development

The Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a preliminary plat for the Estates of Malama subdivision at 2500 O’Connell Road on Aug. 27. The preliminary plat would split one existing parcel that contains Cornerstone Church into 20 lots, keeping the church parcel intact and reserving the remainder for future residential development.

Staff planner Catherine Week told commissioners the site is inside Tier 1 of the city’s urban growth area for Plan 2040 and within the Southeast Area Plan, and that the property is zoned R-3 under the city’s new Land Development Code. “The proposed plat would accommodate a mix of housing,” Week said, and staff found the proposal met the criteria laid out in section 20-1109 of the Land Development Code and other applicable subdivision standards.

Developer representatives described the housing mix as single-family homes along the southern border and duplexes/townhomes around an internal street, Lolo Court. Engineer Jason Hoskinson, representing the applicant, said, “the developer’s plan right now would be for single family housing on that southern border,” and that the developer plans an ownership-and-maintenance arrangement for common areas, including lawn care and detention maintenance.

Hoskinson and staff described stormwater work: an existing detention pond will be enlarged and reshaped to handle additional runoff from the denser residential layout. Commission discussion focused on street connectivity and net density calculations. Commissioner Eldridge asked why the proposed cul-de-sac met the city’s intent to emphasize street connectivity; Week explained that perimeter connections are already established and that the plat’s internal access was designed not to interfere with existing perimeter links.

The applicant and staff also walked the commission through the density math. The southern portion being developed measures about 5.5 acres; after subtracting rights-of-way, easements and other nonbuildable areas, the net buildable area used in the calculation is about 3.65 acres. Hoskinson said the applicant plans 39 residential units on the developable acreage, yielding a net density of roughly 10.68 units per acre, which falls within the R-3 district’s cited net-density range of 7–15 units per acre stated in the staff discussion.

There were no in-person or online public speakers at the item; staff said the office had received several phone calls and one email asking about the project and that those inquiries were answered. After discussion the commission moved and seconded approval; no recorded roll-call vote list was provided in the transcript and no commissioners identified themselves as voting no. The item was announced as passing and the commission proceeded to the next agenda item.

The approval is a recommendation on the preliminary plat; as Week noted, final plat approval would be an administrative step later, at which time dedications and easements would be considered for acceptance by the city commission.

Clarifying details from the meeting: the overall parcel including the church is about 8.8 acres; the developer’s sale/transaction concerns the roughly 5.5-acre developable portion; reported net buildable area used for density math was about 3.65 acres; applicant expects 39 units; proposed internal street name is Lolo Court; existing Cornerstone Church parcel will remain under the church’s ownership. No new perimeter dedications were proposed on O’Connell Road; internal circulation and utility easements would be considered at final plat.