Overland Park launches two-year update of Unified Development Ordinance to implement Framework OP

On Jan. 13, 2025, Overland Park officials opened a two-year project to update the city’s Unified Development Ordinance, aiming to align zoning, development standards and design rules with the Framework OP comprehensive plan, city staff said at a council meeting.

City planners and the consultant team told the council the update will begin with a code audit, include a market and feasibility study and proceed through modular drafting, public review and formal adoption. Danielle Hulrah, senior planner for current planning, said the project will use the policies and character areas in Framework OP to inform zoning districts and development standards. “The purpose of our meeting is to preview the activities of the UDO update and introduce you all to that process,” Hulrah said.

Why this matters: Overland Park’s existing development code dates largely from 1990 and has been amended piecemeal, staff said. City leaders and the consultant argued that a consolidated, modern UDO will make rules easier to find and apply, reduce uncertainty for developers and residents, and implement the community vision captured in Framework OP.

Scope and schedule The consultant team, led by Mark White of White and Smith…