The Roeland Park city council took up the issue of rezoning 5000 Johnson Drive from an office building district to a mixed use district at the governing body workshop Monday.
The long-vacant building was recently purchased by the owner of Pride Cleaners.
Kathleen Warman, of Warman Architects, spoke on behalf of Pride Cleaners and described the extensive exterior remodeling and parking lot reconfiguration planned for the site. Warman said the owner was also willing to add a public sidewalk to improve walkability.
While councilmembers generally agreed the plans significantly improved the look of the building, the updates do not comply with the Johnson Drive Design Guidelines adopted as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. These guidelines called for a reconfiguration of the building with parking in the rear and a common gathering space in the front.
Since the owner wants to update the existing building and not demolish and rebuild the city is limited in its ability to enforce the guidelines, according to city staff.
(Read more: Prairie Village Post – Neighborhood news and events for Prairie Village, Fairway, Mission Hills)