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Staff outlines timeline and key policy topics for Unified Development Ordinance update
Summary
City staff presented an ambitious schedule to update Overland Park's Unified Development Ordinance to align with the Framework OP plan, proposing 11 zoning districts, targeted policy meetings on housing, commercial design, standards, and procedures, and an end-of-year discussion draft leading to a final draft in early 2027.
Staff briefed the council on an accelerated schedule to produce a Unified Development Ordinance (UDO) update aligned with the Framework OP comprehensive plan and an adoption goal in early 2027.
Brian Lomberg, planning manager, walked the council through where the project has been and where it is headed, saying the team aims to deliver a discussion draft by year-end and a final adoption draft in early 2027. "Framework OP identified this unified development ordinance update as one of the most critical implementation steps," Lomberg said. Staff proposed reducing the current 33 zoning districts to 11 new districts to make the code more user-friendly and to align zoning with framework character areas.
Key policy topics slated for upcoming meetings include housing (including accessory dwelling units, duplexes and lot-size regulations), commercial uses and walkability versus vehicle-oriented design, regulatory standards and commonly approved deviations, and procedural questions about by-right approvals versus discretionary reviews. Council members raised additional topics, including data centers and downtown form-based code, and staff said they would work those into the schedule and the consultants' drafting as appropriate. The council and staff emphasized that policy direction given during these months will guide detailed code drafting and that open public engagement will continue.
