Lenexa council rezones Ross Canyon site to RP‑3/RP‑4 and approves preliminary plan for multifamily development

The Lenexa City Council voted Monday to rezone a 44‑acre site known as Ross Canyon from agricultural and single‑family zoning (AG and R‑1) to planned residential districts RP‑3 and RP‑4 and approved the project’s preliminary plan and plat.

Stephanie Sullivan of Community Development told council the applicant revised building architecture and site design in response to planning commission and neighbor feedback. Key staff points included preservation of the stream corridor as open space, a larger west‑side landscape buffer to reduce visibility toward Cottonwood Canyon, and tree preservation where feasible. Sullivan said the city’s code allows up to a 35 percent height increase in limited circumstances (to about 47.25 feet), but the applicant requested additional deviations: some buildings were described as ranging from about 52.5 to as tall as 64.25 feet.

Council members pressed staff and the applicant on proximity to existing single‑family neighborhoods and road alignment. Staff noted a roughly 588‑foot distance between the development and Cottonwood Canyon at one point and described required public‑street improvements. Traffic‑calming features under consideration include median or divided street treatments and re‑routing a cart path to a safer crossing; the project’s phasing requires portions of 90 First Street to be constructed by the developer before certain buildings receive certificates of occupancy.

Developer Tyler Burks (Petra) summarized engineering constraints, including a stream corridor and historic mine overburden areas that limit developable land; he said the applicant shifted buildings and parking to increase buffers, increased landscaping, and altered architecture to meet city design standards. Burks described the project program as a mix of townhomes and apartments, with staff and applicant citing approximately 95 townhomes and several apartment components (staff cited figures including 74 apartments in one portion and roughly 300 apartments referenced elsewhere), a total the applicant and staff agreed would result in about 469 proposed dwelling units with a zoning capacity up to 651 units.

Phasing presented by the applicant called for construction of phase one to begin in March 2025 and phase two in June 2026, with project completion anticipated in the third quarter of 2028. Council members complimented the applicant’s responsiveness to neighborhood concerns and the design revisions. The council voted to pass the rezoning ordinance and approve the preliminary plan by voice vote (motions by Chelsea and Melanie, respectively).