Lenexa council rezones 13.7‑acre Hedge Lane site; approves preliminary plan after traffic and petition debate

The Lenexa City Council on Oct. 7 approved an ordinance rezoning 13.73 acres at 9140 Hedge Lane Terrace from agricultural (AG) to RP‑1 (planned residential single‑family) and RP‑2 (planned residential townhome) and later approved a companion preliminary plan for a residential subdivision that includes single‑family homes and townhomes.

Stephanie Sullivan of the Community Development Department told the council the site is designated suburban density residential in the comprehensive plan; staff presented a plan with an overall density of roughly 6.26 dwelling units per acre. Sullivan summarized the layout as 18 single‑family lots in the RP‑1 area (about five acres) and 68 townhome units in the RP‑2 portion (about 8.5 acres), for a staff calculation of 86 units. The applicant later described the development as an 84‑unit professionally managed community. The site plan shows a new public street (90th Street) connecting to Mistletoe and Dunraven, private drives serving townhomes, and closure of the existing Hedgeline Terrace access to K‑7; the plan includes neighborhood amenities and platting to preserve a perpetual access easement for Monticello Gospel Assembly Church.

City Engineer Tim Green gave the traffic analysis and explained level‑of‑service methodology: “Level of service is just a way to measure how the roadway system is operating,” he said, and he described peak‑period congestion at the K‑7/Prairie Star interchange and queueing effects during a nearby school dismissal. Green and staff said removal of the Hedgeline Terrace driveway aligns with KDOT’s goal to reduce direct access points on K‑7 and noted temporary pavement‑marking changes planned for the Dunraven/Prairie Star roundabout. Councilmembers repeatedly asked about school capacity and construction‑traffic routing; staff said the school district uses the comprehensive plan to forecast enrollment and that construction traffic would access the site from Dunraven rather than directly from K‑7.

Neighbors testified during a lengthy public‑comment period, urging fewer units, additional traffic calming and clearer parking plans. Several residents described backups on Dunraven during peak times and concerns about construction truck routing; one resident cited repeated crashes in the area. Monticello Gospel Assembly’s trustee said the church supports the project because the plan provides a permanent city water connection after decades without it.

Sullivan noted the applicants requested several deviations (front yard setback, lot area/width/depth, street‑side and freeway setback) and compared the requests to previously approved deviations in The Reserve neighborhood. Staff and the Planning Commission recommended approval. A valid protest petition had been submitted and, per state/local rules, changed the voting thresholds for the governing body: approval of the plan required a supermajority.

Council discussion referenced the city’s Golden Criteria for rezonings, the comprehensive plan’s context‑sensitive infill guidance, and the history of earlier approvals nearby. After deliberation the council adopted the rezoning ordinance in a roll‑call vote recorded in the transcript as 7‑2 in favor. The council later approved the companion preliminary plan by motion (recorded as passing under the voting rules discussed during the staff presentation), with council instructions that staff and the applicant continue to work through parking and construction questions before final plan submittal.

What the approvals mean: the council’s actions rezoned the property to allow the specific mix of single‑family and townhome development shown on the preliminary plan and cleared the subdivision to proceed to final‑plan and plat stages, subject to the city’s standard final‑plan review, engineered construction documents and any conditions included in the final approvals. Because a valid protest petition was filed against the rezoning, the council required and obtained the higher vote threshold to enact the rezoning ordinance; next steps for the developer include final engineering and coordination with KDOT and the school district as needed.

Record of formal actions taken on the item is summarized below.