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Olathe Planning Commission approves Kwik Trip redevelopment amid traffic concerns
Summary
The Olathe Planning Commission approved PR 20423 to redevelop the former Red Lobster site into a Kwik Trip. Commissioners raised concerns about eastbound traffic flow at 119th Street and Black Bob; staff recommended monitoring signal timing and noted a discrepancy in pump counts between drawings and the staff report.
The Olathe Planning Commission approved PR 20423, a proposal to redevelop the former Red Lobster site near 119th Street and Black Bob into a Kwik Trip, after a discussion about traffic flow and signal timing.
Commissioner Creighton, Planning Commissioner, said he welcomed the redevelopment but warned that "when you leave that location, if you wanna go back eastbound...to get to the light, which is near the Freddy's Hamburgers, which is notoriously 1 of the longest lights in Olathe, I think, if you're trying to get out of there, You've got to wind through the neighboring businesses in the parking lots, and I was concerned about safety." He asked staff to summarize the traffic study and any mitigation options.
Chip Belcher, chief community development officer, told commissioners the traffic counts were taken on non‑school days and repeated twice for accuracy. He said staff analyzed nearby intersections including 117th and Black Bob and 119th and Black Bob, plus right‑in/right‑out access. "They analyzed the intersections... 100 And Seventeenth was level B or C depending on if it was AM or PM and 100 And Nineteenth Street was acceptable at level set service C or D," Belcher said. He acknowledged that eastbound egress from the site will be the most challenging movement and recommended monitoring the signal; if queues grow staff could change the signal to a permissive‑protected left turn to provide a dedicated left‑turn phase.
Belcher also clarified an equipment discrepancy noted during the discussion: "the report does say that there's 6 stalls, 6 pumps. There's actually gonna be 8. So just so, you guys are aware of that." Commissioners confirmed the final materials will reflect the correct pump/stall count.
Belcher described the city's ongoing signal management: staff review signal timing at least annually, maintain multiple timing programs (for example, separate patterns for lunch, dinner and the holiday shopping season), and accept citizen reports through the city's service portal. "We take phone calls from citizens, and we also have LathoConnect. So all those are routed to the traffic department," he said, adding that those inputs can prompt an earlier review of signal timing.
Commissioner Chapman moved to approve PR 20423 "as stipulated by staff," and Commissioner Turonis seconded. A roll‑call vote recorded six votes in favor and one opposed; the motion passed 6‑1.
The commission's action forwards the approved plat/plan consistent with staff stipulations; implementation details such as final pump/stall counts and any future signal‑timing changes remain subject to staff follow up and potential City Council review.
