Overland Park townhouse plan passes planning board despite worries over Incred-A-Bowl

The Overland Park Planning Commission on Monday approved a rezoning for a townhouse development despite community concerns about the landowner’s nearby vacant building.

Developer N.M.S, based in Lenexa, requested that the area on the northeastern corner of 151st Street and Antioch Road be rezoned from a planned office building district to a planned cluster dwelling district. The land is bordered on the north side by single-family housing, and on the south side by the vacant Incred-A-Bowl building.

The property owner also owns the Incred-A-Bowl building, and commissioners and community members agreed that the building has fallen into disrepair since the business closed in 2015. They were concerned that the owner would not maintain the townhouse development because they have not kept up with the vacant building, but the commissioners voted 7-2 to approve the rezoning.

The 2.9-acre tract of land was first rezoned with an office building to the west of it in 1999, but nothing was built there.

Preliminary plans were first brought to the planning commission at their May 9 meeting, but the commission voted to have the developers look over it again and consider their suggestions.

The updated preliminary plan has a total of five buildings. Four of the buildings would have four units, and the easternmost building would only have two units, per the commission’s request in May.

Each unit would have three bedrooms and three bathrooms, a basement and a two-car garage.

The plan includes trees and landscaping on all four sides, particularly shade and evergreen trees along the north side to provide a buffer between the townhouses and neighborhood.

The commissioners agreed that the proposed plan would be a good use of the land, and transition between the residential neighborhood and commercial area.

Incred-A-Bowl

The owner of the land also owns the vacant building where Incred-A-Bowl used to be. The business closed in 2015, and neighbors and commissioners both said that the property owner should deal with the state of the vacant building before starting new developments.

Community members said that the owner has not kept up with the maintenance of the vacant Incred-A-Bowl building and it has boarded up windows, trash and potholes around it. Commissioners agreed that the building is an eyesore.

The preliminary plan has the entrance to the townhomes through the Incred-A-Bowl lot.

“I wouldn’t want to live at this new site if I had to drive through where they have to drive through now,” Commissioner Tom Robinett said.

Community members urged the commission to deny the request because they said the owner would not keep up with the property, as they have not kept up with the Incred-A-Bowl building.

The commissioners said they had to look at the application as it was presented to them and not consider other developments at that time.

Commissioner Ned Reitzes said he wished the Incred-A-Bowl building would be better maintained, but the townhouse development looked like a good plan on its own.

“It represents an aesthetic and lifestyle that I think would be an addition to the neighborhood,” Reitzes said.

The final plan will now be considered by the Overland Park City Council with the Planning Commission on July 11.

This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 3:21 PM.