Topeka committee hears strong public pushback on plan to allow duplexes, triplexes and quads by conditional use permit

The Policy and Finance Committee of the City of Topeka heard a Planning Department presentation and more than an hour of public comment on a proposed text amendment that would allow duplexes, triplexes and quads in single‑family zoning districts through a conditional use permit process.

Dan Warner of the Planning Department explained the item is a code text amendment, not a rezoning, and reviewed process steps including neighborhood information meetings (notice to at least 300 feet) and a 200‑foot legal notice for public hearings. Warner said the Planning Commission ultimately recommended allowing duplexes, triplexes and quads by CUP, subject to additional CUP guidelines addressing concentration, design and paving of front yards.

The meeting drew large turnout from residents of historic neighborhoods. Alice Anne Oliver of Potlin said she organized neighbors and objected to what she called limited outreach and the 200‑foot notice radius, arguing that "Upzoning ... will leave vulnerable our neighborhoods with some of the richest history in the city of Topeka and the very neighborhoods that accommodate affordable housing."…