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Topeka committee hears heated neighborhood pushback on proposal to allow duplexes, triplexes and four‑plexes by conditional use permit
Summary
Planning staff and the Planning Commission explained a text amendment to allow duplexes, triplexes and quads in R‑1/R‑2 zones by conditional use permit; neighborhood groups urged caution, citing potential investor conversions and weak effects on affordability. The Planning Commission recommended CUPs; staff stressed notification and design guidelines.
Planning Director Dan Warner told the Policy & Finance Committee on Feb. 9 that the proposal would change city rules so duplexes, triplexes and quads in R‑1 and R‑2 single‑family zoning districts could be approved through a conditional use permit (CUP) rather than requiring rezoning. "The recommendation from the housing committee was to allow duplexes, triplexes, and quads by CUP, subject to new CUP guidelines," Warner said, describing CUPs as a public process with neighborhood information meetings and planning‑commission public hearings.
The Planning Commission and its housing committee vetted the change through multiple meetings in 2024 and 2025 and concluded the amendment is intended as an incremental tool, not a panacea for Topeka's housing issues. Warner…
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