Commission approves Kava outparcel and 20‑year special use permit for pickup‑only drive lane at Leawood Village

The Planning Commission unanimously approved revised preliminary and final plans and a 20‑year special‑use permit for a Kava café at Leawood Village (Case PC 110‑25).

Staff said the proposed single‑story building is approximately 2,514 square feet with an outdoor patio and a drive‑through lane designed for mobile order pickup only; the plan showed no menu board or audio ordering (squawk box). “Because of the request for a drive through, it requires a special use permit, which is proposed for a term of 20 years,” Planner Taylor Burt said.

Applicant representatives described the pickup model as app‑driven: customers order and pay via the app and pick up at a dedicated window. The applicant described the plan as limiting on‑site queuing and noise; “the drive through lane will wrap around the building with both an entrance and exit located on the west side of the building,” Burt said in the staff presentation. Developer Doug Weltner said the developer wants to retain the previously approved ability for a 4,000‑square‑foot building on the lot as a placeholder for future expansion, though the immediate plan is for the 2,500‑square‑foot Kava.

Commissioners questioned where any future expansion would occur and emphasized that any material exterior change (for example, adding a menu board or traditional drive‑through ordering amenity) would trigger a revised‑final‑plan review and a new special‑use review if the tenant changed. Staff confirmed that new exterior items such as a menu board would require a revised final plan and would be evaluated under the special‑use framework.

The commission approved the revised plans and the 20‑year special‑use permit unanimously.