Council approves East Village final plan for 160-unit Elizabeth active-adult community

The Leawood City Council unanimously approved a final plat and final plan for The Elizabeth, a 160-unit age-restricted (55+) apartment building within the East Village development.

The approved final plan covers a roughly 300,000-square-foot building that includes about 220,000 square feet of residential space, roughly 10,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor and approximately 80,000 square feet of structured parking enclosed in the building. The building will be three stories on the east end and four stories on the west end to accommodate topography; total parking provided will be 265 stalls (227 enclosed, 38 surface).

Planning staff said the proposal was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission (7–1). Staff and commission discussion focused on a LDO provision that typically requires a 10-foot landscape buffer around buildings. Staff noted that the LDO’s buffer requirement is primarily intended to screen incompatible uses, but mixed-use districts (MXD) are designed to be denser and more pedestrian oriented; the project proposes narrower plantings in places consistent with prior Leawood mixed‑use approvals. The final plan provides landscaped edges and preserves a significant tree-preservation area immediately west of the building.

Developer team remarks Curtis Holland, attorney for the project team, said the building meets the LDO unit-size requirements for senior housing and that the project team is working with national senior‑housing operators; he estimated rents “probably plus $2,000 a month” for many units. Holland said the owners will purchase the land contingent on council approvals.

Fire and public-works matters Councilmembers asked about recent on-site blasting and whether it related to this parcel. Public Works representative David Lay said the blasting had been performed on East Village property for stormwater and sanitary-sewer construction that will serve this building. Fire and planning staff reviewed access, and the project’s structured parking is accessed from the south side of the building via the internal entry road.

Council discussion and concerns Council members raised several points during discussion: Councilmember Harrison urged attention to preserved green space and cautioned against incremental increases in building mass as multiple parcels are developed; staff replied that cumulative changes are tracked and would trigger a revised preliminary development plan and public hearing if the overall development varies by 5% or more from the approved plan. Councilmember Larson praised the proposed crime-prevention design features and asked about rents and unit mix; staff and the applicant provided the ballpark rent commentary above.

Outcome The council adopted the resolution approving the final plat and final plan for East Village — The Elizabeth (planning case 55-25) by a unanimous vote. The project will move to permitting and construction steps contingent on building permits, utility hookups and compliance with the approved final plan.