Title
Discussion over Single-Family Residential Requirements
Body
Issue/Request:
This is a continuation of the discussion over Single-Family Residential construction requirements and their impact on affordability.
Key Issues:
Attainable housing is a stated goal in both the Ignite Strategic Plan and the Ignite Comprehensive Plan. Over the last year, there have been several discussions working towards defining attainable, what factors contribute to rising home construction costs, and what steps can be taken to make housing more attainable. We will be discussing:
1. The definition of attainable housing
2. Narrower lot development
3. Garage requirements
4. Sidewalk requirements
Background:
The CEDC began discussions in July of 2021. A series of 3 meetings were held discussing narrow lot single family development, including a field visit to nearby projects. Links to each of those packet items are included under related items.
The Ignite Comprehensive plan has the following stated goal- Create and maintain a variety of housing options, styles and price ranges. The Comprehensive Plan categorizes residential into three groupings that increase in density from Residential 1-3. Residential 2 allows for smaller single-family lot sizes. The comprehensive plan has an objective to change the overall housing mix to 65% Residential Category 1, 20% Residential Category 2 and 15% Residential Category 3. The idea behind this goal was to produce a majority of housing stock over the next 20 years that continues the traditional Lee’s Summit neighborhood while providing the necessary density for housing variety and fiscal sustainability. There are a variety of approaches to allow housing to be constructed in a more efficient manner. Traditionally, lots in Lee's Summit average 70' in width. Reducing the lot width is one way to increase the amount of housing per linear foot of street. The attached memo from July 14, 2021 contains some visual examples of the narrower lots and basic dimensional requirements.
In September of 2021, a tour of local narrow lot developments occurred. The tour and descriptions are included below for reference. The main topics discussed during the tour included the following:
1. Open space
2. Architecture
3. Shared driveways to place garages behind units
4. Sidewalks on both sides of the street
5. On-street parking availability
The tour consisted of the following locations:
1. Begin at Lee's Summit City Hall
2. Edgewater at 8812 SW 8th Street, Blue Springs, MO
3. Arborwalk at 1021 SW Arborway Circle, Lee's Summit, MO
4. Older housing in Waldo- E 74th and Grand Ave, Kansas City, MO
5. Newer build on one lot in Mission- 5347 Lamar Ave, Mission KS
6. Older housing at 5347 Woodson Road, Mission KS
Route info is at https://goo.gl/maps/hRjrzi6T3xCE8pUb8
Timeline:
It is anticipated that there will be at least two follow-up meetings on this topic over the next few months, including direct conversations with local homebuilders and developers.
Presenter
Ryan A. Elam, P.E., Director of Development Services