Planning commission approves preliminary plat over neighborhood traffic concerns

The Bonner Springs Planning Commission voted to approve the preliminary plat for the Lynn/Lee Valley development and will forward the item to the Aug. 10 city council meeting for final action.

Residents who spoke at the July 21 meeting said they fear additional traffic on 138th Street, limited sight lines at Burger Avenue and winter driving hazards. ‘‘We're going to have a lot more traffic going up 138,’’ Sheldon Frayn said, noting parked cars and uphill visibility problems near Burger Avenue.

Roman Hahn, owner of Circle H Land Development and the project applicant, told commissioners a third‑party traffic study examined the corridor from 142nd to K‑7 and recommended four access points to avoid concentrating vehicles on a single route. "We have 4 points of entry... we're not directing people down 138 all to go to Lynn Valley," Hahn said, and described measures including an all‑way stop on the Kansas Avenue frontage, roughly 10‑foot widening of Kansas where the development fronts, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and advance warning signage.

Staff and the applicant said the drainage and topography in the Kansas Avenue corridor make adding a new crossing there costly and technically difficult. Hahn said crossing the natural storm drainage would require infrastructure that would drive up costs and make homes less attainable: "the moment that you start expanding Kansas Avenue... it quickly gets out of attainable and affordable housing for the builders."

Commission staff explained utilities and lot dimensions. The sewer will tie into an existing lift station sized for future development, staff said. The preliminary plat includes a mix of lot widths; 50‑foot lots with 5‑foot side setbacks would allow a roughly 40‑foot‑wide house, and the development also proposes 65‑foot lots for larger floor plans. "There is a stack of 50 footers, but a lot of them are well over 50 feet," staff said.

Aaron Young, vice president of development for Summit Homes, which will build in the community, said the 50‑ to 65‑foot lot mix is intended to produce attainable homes for Bonner Springs and described product pricing for 50‑foot lots in the low‑to‑mid $300,000 range. He cited the city’s housing study as motivating the narrower‑lot option.

After questions about sight lines, winter operations and where the traffic study results would be posted, the commission closed the public hearing and moved to approve the preliminary plat (PP tax 0126) as presented. Roll call for the motion recorded four yes votes and one abstention; the item is scheduled for final consideration by the city council on Aug. 10.

The commission and applicant said the final plat process will include publication and review of the full traffic impact study before any final approval, giving residents another opportunity to review and comment.