SHAWNEE, Kan. — A proposed zoning change and potential development has residents in a Shawnee neighborhood concerned.
Plans from Phelps Engineering Inc. call to rezone 29.2 acres of land, located in the northwest corner of Johnson Drive and K-7, near the Woodsonia neighborhood. The proposal includes a combination of 16 multifamily buildings containing 384 residential apartment units, and 14 townhome buildings containing 42 dwelling units.
On Sunday, a group of neighbors headed by Patrick Fitzgerald held a meeting to discuss arguments they hope to present to the city council on Monday.
"I want to make sure we have informed citizens and know what’s going on," Fitzgerald said.
More than a dozen residents who live near the proposed development attended the meeting.
It's a development some residents, like Renee Weatherman, are wary about.
"Our neighborhood would be in the shadow of a huge, huge, multifamily development," Weatherman said.
Traffic also is a concern for Weatherman.
"To put in these apartment buildings in this area that is so small that would not handle it,” she said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
Others feel the development does not fit in with the neighborhood.
"When we put too many people in a confined space, that’s where a concern is," Fitzgerald said.
The Woodsonia West Multifamily project passed the Shawnee Planning Committee unanimously, but with this meeting and preparation, this group of residents hopes the city council will give the project a new look.
"We want to appear as informed, concerned citizens and have our arguments laid out as facts," Weatherman said.
The Shawnee City Council will meet at 7 p.m. Monday in the city council chambers. They are expected to vote only on the zoning of the land. The project proposal will be considered at a later date.
