Prairie Village’s new design standards for new builds address trees, windows, garages

The Prairie Village City Council on Monday approved new regulations aimed at the development of large homes within the city.

Councilmembers voted 11-2 to adopt a slate of neighborhood design standards, which include rules on tree planting, garage sizes and notifying neighbors.

City officials proposed the guidelines to address the rapid increase in recent years of owners tearing down the mid-century ranch and Cape Cod houses that have defined Prairie Village and replacing them with much larger homes. In some cases, residents have complained that the new, larger buildings overshadow their neighbors, cause drainage problems and are out of character with the rest of the neighborhood. The council in 2016 implemented a group of regulations for property zoned R-1A and R-1B that limited building heights and restricted how close new homes could be built to side property lines.

The new regulations, which go into effect Feb. 1, are more specific, addressing both building designs and the look of front yards. They will apply to home rebuilds and home expansions of more than 200 square feet.

Any home that receives a building permit before Feb. 1 would be exempt from the new rules, said City Administrator Wes Jordan.