Liberty council approves Prairie Estate plat, ADU zoning change and short transportation pilot

Liberty’s City Council unanimously approved a slate of ordinances and contracts at its regular session, including final plat approval for the Prairie Estate subdivision, a zoning change to allow accessory dwelling units on larger lots, and a one‑month community transportation pilot.

Planning staff presented the Prairie Estate final plat (P&Z case 25‑48FP) and explained the applicant switched from a previously approved plan for three multifamily buildings totaling six units to four single‑family lots. Planning staff (Miss Sharp) said the applicant requests variances for front‑lot depth and lot area; she noted two front lots on North Prairie are proposed at 84 feet (six feet short of the 90‑foot requirement) and one lot is 4,706 square feet (294 sq. ft. smaller than the 5,000 sq. ft. requirement). Builder Braden Stravino told the council the developer chose bungalow‑style ranch homes because “we thought that the bungalow or cottage style ranch homes were gonna be a little more cohesive to the environment, and overall well‑being of the neighborhood.” No members of the public objected during the hearing; the council waived the rules for first reading and approved the ordinance.

The council also approved an amendment to the Unified Development Ordinance (P&Z case 25‑49a) to allow accessory dwelling units (ADUs) on lots greater than or equal to three acres. Miss Sharp said the change is intended to be phased: “This would allow us to kind of monitor issues that are coming up before we slowly allow them.” She emphasized ADUs under the proposal would remain secondary and subordinate to the primary detached single‑family dwelling and that the city’s existing owner‑occupancy requirement would continue to prevent landlords from creating two rentable units on the same lot.

In a separate item, council approved a one‑month pilot contract with Just Missouri Holdings for a community transportation service, not to exceed $14,000, effective October 2025. Staff explained the city moved away from the IRIS arrangement under KCATA because of potential cost increases and selected a new operator, Guest. Staff said Guest will operate door‑to‑door service within Liberty and offer $3 trips to partnered communities such as Gladstone; medical trips north of the river are also included. City staff described outreach plans—social media, water‑bill notices when possible, and a ribbon‑cutting grand opening—and said they will gather rider feedback.

Council approved a series of professional services agreements and purchases, including: calibration of probes/controllers at the wastewater treatment plant (≤ $27,000); a cloud‑based EPCR/NFIRS platform and training for the fire department (≤ $24,786.20); storm‑shelter peer review for the city hall/police expansion (≤ $16,000); commissioning services for the expansion (≤ $52,000); recreation management software from CivicPlus (≤ $56,586.89); and engineering and construction adjustments including an increase of $45,873 to the Plum Road storm sewer contract. On the Plum Road project the project manager said work is close to completion and seeding/top lift of asphalt is expected within about two weeks after minor delays caused by misconstructed inlets and an elevation discrepancy.

On utility work near Fairview Cemetery, staff told council the replacement sanitary line would occupy the same alignment as the existing eight‑inch line but that engineers will attempt to more precisely locate it and, where possible, reduce easement widths. The council approved an AGC Engineers contract for sewer improvements not to exceed $35,555.

The council accepted a resolution to purchase land from the Missouri Department of Conservation, including Rush Creek and Walnut Woods, with a not‑to‑exceed price of $20,000. A parks liaison said MDC lacked funding to maintain the properties and that the total acreage under discussion is about 100 acres (roughly 60 acres at Walnut Woods and about 40 adjacent to Stockton); councilmembers asked staff to continue negotiations to try to lower the final purchase cost.

No citizens offered comments during the public participation period. The city manager announced the next regular meeting on Oct. 13.

Votes at a glance: all items presented and moved with requests to waive rules for first reading passed by unanimous vote as recorded by the chair. Specific ordinances, contracts, and resolutions approved included the Prairie Estate final plat (P&Z 25‑48FP), UDO amendment for ADUs (P&Z 25‑49a), vendor payments acknowledgement, ordinance 12161 regarding ad valorem levies (first read), calibration and engineering contracts, CivicPlus software, storm‑siren recorder, the one‑month transportation pilot with Just Missouri Holdings, the MDC land purchase resolution, and acceptance of City Project 25‑008 with Donaldson Construction.