Commission denies rezoning request for 1402 E. 40th after neighbors cite traffic, drainage and density concerns

Shawnee commissioners voted 6-0 to deny a request to rezone property at 1402 East 40th Street from R-1 (low-density residential) to R-2 (medium-density residential), a move that would have permitted the developer’s planned fourplex buildings. The vote followed a public hearing in which nearby residents, city staff and the applicant discussed traffic, drainage and density.

The applicant, Salazar Homes Inc., represented at the meeting by Charles Allen of Allen Engineering, proposed six fourplex buildings on the roughly 1.86-acre parcel, producing 24 dwelling units. Ryan Harkins, Shawnee’s community development director, told the commission the city’s future land-use map describes the site as medium-density residential (up to 12 dwelling units per acre) but cautioned that a rezoning would be a “spot zoning” decision; the Planning Commission recommended a…