Planning and Zoning Commission approves zoning change for multi-family housing development

by Jake Hipsher, Grain Valley News student intern

     Members of the Grain Valley Planning and Zoning Commission met on June 8th to discuss current and future plans for the city. Present commission members included Craig Shelton, Justin Tyson, Debbie Saffell, and Jim Hofstetter, who had four action items to consider.
     The first action item focused on the future planning of The Lofts at Creekside Landing. Blue Springs Safety Storage South II LLC requested a change of zoning on the designated 7.53 acres of land. The development is located at the dead end of NW Sni-A-Bar Blvd, north of the Grain Valley Schools Transportation Center, and West of Royer Funeral Home.
     The development will consist of four apartment buildings, three four-plex buildings, and one duplex. Among the housing units, it will also include a community building, a swimming pool, pickleball courts, a trail system, a courtyard, a playground, as well as numerous green spaces. 
     Bryan Roly, a representative from the multi-family housing development, requested the allowance of no fence on the northwest side of the lot. Roly highlighted the park setting that his team was attempting to incorporate.
     “A 6-foot fence would take away from that,” Roly said.
     Francis Royer, owner of Royer Funeral Home, was also present to make suggestions for the planning of the housing development. Royer suggested the need for a fence or additional screening on the east side of the lot in order to prevent any unnecessary activity on the nearby burial grounds. 
     “We've had issues with people crossing over and dumping batteries, large metal objects, playing golf, taking their pets out, walking through, and that's why I was concerned,” said Royer. 
     Roly recognized the need for more separation between the two properties, claiming he had “no problem” with creating a refined barrier in between the east side of the development and the cemetery. Ultimately, the commission recommended moving forward with the fencing installation on the northwest side to create privacy and boundaries between the surrounding environment. 
     The second action item pertained to amending Chapter 400 of the Code of Ordinances. It was proposed to amend Section 400.230 (Accessory Uses) to prohibit wheeled trailers, portable trailers, and roll-off trash containers as accessory buildings. Section 400.290 was also brought to attention by the commission to evaluate the presence of cars, trucks, boats, trailers, and other recreational vehicles parked in resident’s yards. 
     Commissioner Tyson proposed to allow these automobiles to be parked in the resident’s backyards, as long as said vehicles were to be parked on an approved surface. 
     Commissioner Hofstetter aired his concerns with this plan, believing that it would cause conflict with resident’s pre-existing parking situations. Hofstetter claimed that the plan would actually be “creating more problems than solving.”
     The amendment to Section 400.230 was approved and passed by the commission with a unanimous vote. The amendment for Section 400.290 was approved and passed by the commission with a 3-1 vote.
     The third action item was presented by Richard Tuttle, the City Engineer of Grain Valley. Tuttle discussed the Capital Improvement Plan, which is the multi-year scheduling of large-scale capital improvements and major purchases. The plan includes numerous road reconstructions, enhanced trail and sidewalk systems, as well as purchasing more vehicles, machinery, and equipment for the Grain Valley Public Works department and the police department.
     The 2023-2027 Capital Improvement Plan was approved as written by the commission, and passed with a 4-0 vote. 
     The last action item focused on the introduction of new rules to the Planning and Zoning Commission. The Grain Valley City Attorney put together a resolution which included a package of suggested rules and guidelines common to a public body. 
     The first point aimed to introduce the Sunshine Law. The second point was to improve social media policy and usage from the city’s perspective. The third point was to put forth procedures to disclose potential conflicts of interest. The fourth point dealt with commission procedure, aiming to adopt Rosenberg's Rules of Order. The fifth point surrounds general rules of conduct, which outlines treating people with respect, as well as chair recognition. The last point would set an attendance policy for commission members. In detail, if a commissioner is absent for three or more regularly scheduled meetings within a twelve month period, the chair of the commission can recommend removal proceedings to the mayor. 
     The present commission members were all in favor of these new rules, but did not move forward with the decision in hopes for more commissioners to weigh in at the next meeting. 
     The next meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission will be held at 6:30pm on July 13th at City Hall.