Topeka planners approve M1A rezoning for Southeast 25th Street site after debate over density

The Topeka Planning Commission voted 6–2 to rezone 2450 Southeast 25th Street to M1A on an amended motion, a compromise between staff and the applicant over how much multifamily housing the site should allow.

Staff presented the request as an application to change the roughly 1.14-acre parcel from R1 (single-family) to M2 (multifamily). Staff recommended a lower density — M1 or M1A — pointing to the comprehensive plan’s low-density residential designation and to established single-family zoning on three sides. The applicant’s conceptual plan showed 24 townhome-style units in two 12-unit rows with 48 parking spaces and modern design elements.

Steve Franklin, the project manager and developer, said the concept would "increase housing availability in southeast Topeka" and described the proposal as a "thoughtful residential development opportunity". He said the plan included city water, sewer, stormwater management and fire suppression and that detailed engineering would follow if zoning were approved.

Several nearby church leaders and neighborhood residents opposed the higher-density option during public comment. A pastor at the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ said the neighborhood already copes with trash and trespass from nearby apartments and asked commissioners whether they would place the project in their own neighborhoods. Dale Kushenberry, a retired city employee, asked why so many apartment developments are concentrated in East Topeka and urged caution.

Commissioners discussed competing priorities: the city’s interest in adding housing supply and "missing-middle" units versus concerns about an additional concentration of multifamily units in the area, the technical difficulty and expense of stormwater detention, and the cost to build a platted street that would accompany development. Several commissioners said the 24-unit concept was unlikely to fit the site given stormwater and parking constraints.

A motion to rezoning to M1 (duplex) was made on the floor, then amended to M1A (a mid-level density allowing up to quadplexes/roughly 15 units per acre) and accepted. The amendment passed on roll call 6–2; Commissioners Bowling and Mock voted no. The commission’s action sets the allowable zoning class; any specific site layout, number of lots and detailed engineering still require administrative site-plan review or a future PUD application.

What’s next: The applicant can submit site plans and, depending on the chosen development approach, will need to meet stormwater, parking and right-of-way requirements. If the owner proposes a Planned Unit Development (PUD) later, that application would return to the commission with a tied development plan.