A Johnson County judge says two of three resident-led petitions in Prairie Village don’t meet the legal requirements to be put on this November’s ballot, but ruled that a third petition could go before voters. Johnson County District Court Judge Rhonda Mason issued her ruling in District 4 court Wednesday morning, saying both a petition aimed at limiting development in single-family neighborhoods and a petition that would have remade the city’s form of government — removing six current councilmembers in the process — did not pass muster to be placed on the ballot. However, Mason ruled that a third petition that aims to abandon the city’s current “mayor-council” form of government does comply with state statute and can be put before Prairie Village voters.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Overland Park wants to require developers to pave new residential and collector streets with concrete. The potential change, which city leaders and staff have discussed over the past few months, would likely cut down on the disturbance from street maintenance over time and reduce the city’s use of chip seal as a road resurfacing and maintenance tool. “It’s a small step, but it’s a step in the right direction,” said Public Works Director Lorraine Basalo late last month. Since Overland Park north of Interstate 435 is mostly built out, the concrete street requirement would primarily impact new neighborhoods being built in the southern half of the city. Recently, the Overland Park City Council Public Works Committee unanimously supported the change in the city’s Design and Construction Standards Manual for concrete streets. Now, the greater city council will have to weigh in on the shift to concrete streets in Overland Park’s design criteria.
Source: Prairie Village Post

Shawnee is at odds with itself over where future multifamily projects should be built — or if they belong at all in the city. Over the past few years, debates over how to develop the remaining parcels of land within Johnson County’s third largest city and reimagine its older sectors that are ripe for redevelopment have grown fierce and hostile. These debates have led to confusing processes where projects are left in limbo and neighbors scramble to block what they see as objectionable proposals in their backyard.
Source: Prairie Village Post