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Council approves Holbrook East Village replats; members debate lot-combination setbacks and design policy
Summary
Leawood adopted resolutions approving revised final plats for Holbrook East Village while councilmembers debated whether combining lots should trigger larger setbacks or other design stipulations; staff said the Land Development Ordinance does not currently require revised setbacks for combined lots.
The Leawood Governing Body unanimously adopted resolutions approving revised final plats for Holbrook East Village (items N and O), but the action prompted an extended council discussion about whether lot combinations allow buyers to build larger homes on lots originally platted for smaller houses.
Councilmember Harrison raised concerns that combining lots and retaining the smaller setbacks originally approved for compact homes creates an incentive for much larger houses on small lots. "When we said smaller lot sizes was to have smaller homes. That didn't happen," Harrison said, adding that the city might need a policy requiring larger setbacks when lots are combined.
Julie Early of planning staff told the council that when lots are combined the previously approved reduced setbacks carry through: "They do get the setbacks, that were approved with the original plat. And so in this case, you're correct that they did get reductions in those setbacks. So those did carry through to this." Early said the Land Development Ordinance (LDO) does not currently contain a written policy requiring revised setbacks when lots are combined and that the topic can be considered as part of the upcoming comprehensive plan and LDO update.
Councilmembers discussed interim approaches. Staff said the planning commission could add stipulations to approvals and that the council could ask staff to revisit setback rules in the LDO. Councilmember Kane suggested referring the issue to the planning commission for a work session. Several councilmembers said combining lots can sometimes improve layout and green space, while others warned against creating a pattern of oversized homes that change neighborhood character.
Councilmember Herrson moved to approve items N and O; the motion passed unanimously. Staff indicated they will add consideration of setback policy and infill/teardown design to the comprehensive plan and LDO update work program, and that the planning commission may recommend stipulations on a case-by-case basis until any code changes are adopted.
