Leawood council approves Waterford Of Leawood clustered-housing project after neighbor-focused changes

The Leawood City Council unanimously approved an ordinance July 21 to rezone an 11-acre site south of 130 Seventh Street and west of Mission Road and to authorize preliminary and final plats and plans for Waterford Of Leawood, a clustered residential development of 19 buildings and 60 units.

City planning staff said the project would change the site from RP-4 (planned apartment residential) to RP-3 (planned cluster-attached residential) and would result in an overall density of about 5.5 dwelling units per acre. Planning staff also noted the developer’s prior special-use approvals for assisted- and independent-living uses on the site had expired.

Planner Julie Hurley told the council the plan includes a fire-access turnaround that required a variance because the pavement would be approximately 3 feet from the property line; the Board of Zoning Appeals approved that deviation in June. Hurley also said the developer requested a deviation to allow a 22.5-foot front-yard setback for the overall development.

Developer representatives emphasized changes made after meetings with neighbors and staff. The applicant said the design orients buildings and embeds many units into the landscape to reduce skyline impacts and preserves an existing tree line between the new development and single-family homes to the south. The applicant noted a 65-foot setback is being provided between the project and the property line adjacent to the neighbor tree line and said there is roughly 160 feet from those neighbors’ north-facing home walls to the project property line.

Council members who spoke praised the design elements that aim to protect neighbors’ views and to preserve the tree buffer. Councilmember Julie Kane asked about private streets and lighting; Public Works Director David Lay said Leawood’s Land Development Ordinance does not prohibit private streets but requires them to meet public construction standards (notably pavement thickness and subgrade) so they can be maintained. Lay said a common problem with older private streets is thin pavement that becomes expensive to maintain; he said the city’s public standard requires 8 inches of asphalt for streets built to city standards.

On parking, the applicant said each unit would have two parking spaces (garage plus driveway apron) and the plan provides additional clustered guest parking and on-street parking in some locations. The applicant said the pool/amenity area includes several guest spaces and that wide interior private drives would permit on-street parking on one side.

Councilmembers praised the ownership model and building heights (generally ~26 feet) and noted the developer will operate an HOA responsible for landscape maintenance, snow removal and other common-area tasks. Councilmember Mary Larson asked whether detention/retention areas would appear as green space; staff and the applicant said the stormwater features will meet quantity and quality requirements and will appear as green space at street level.

After council discussion and several supportive comments from members, Councilmember Julie Kane moved to approve the ordinance; Councilmember Mary Larson seconded. The roll-call vote was 7–0 in favor and the ordinance was adopted.

The applicant said construction is expected to begin in about 60 days, with model homes and the first units available in about a year (May–June 2026), and the developer estimated initial phase sales could complete within roughly 18 months.

While council members raised the project name similarity with an existing nearby subdivision called Waterford, Hurley said staff can discuss naming and addressing with the applicant and the city’s addressing committee.

Why this matters: The approval adds a mid-scale ownership housing form to Leawood’s housing mix, while officials and the developer built conditions to reduce visual and traffic impacts on adjacent single-family neighborhoods.

Provenance: The topic is introduced in the council agenda and staff presentation (transcript segment starting at 2008.79) and the final vote and adoption occur in the roll-call sequence (transcript segment starting at 4892.90).