Title
DR2017-02 - AMENDMENTS TO THE WICHITA-SEDGWICK COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN (ALL DISTRICTS).
Presented By: Dale Miller, Director Of the Metropolitan Area Planning Department.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Adopt the resolution amending the Comprehensive Plan as recommended by the Metropolitan Area Planning Commission.
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Background:
The 2015 Wichita-Sedgwick County Comprehensive Plan - The Community Investments Plan included a 2035 Urban Growth Areas Map to portray the anticipated growth patterns of the cities of Sedgwick County. The map is not to be binding or prescriptive in nature, but to serve as a reasonable indication as to where the future extension of public municipal services and corporate limits could occur by the year 2035.
As part of the monitoring effort for the Comprehensive Plan the Advanced Plans Division has made an effort to communicate with each of the municipalities in Sedgwick County about their annexation and development activity and any changes regarding their directions for growth as well as contributing factors to that growth. These efforts are part of the annual urban growth area review process with the cities of Sedgwick County. To that end, three communities have asked for changes to their Urban Growth Areas as currently defined in the Comprehensive Plan.
Rationale for Requested Revisions to Garden Plain’s Urban Growth Area:
Garden Plain had their Area of Zoning Influence eliminated in 2015 and it was replaced by an Urban Area of Influence coinciding with the current Urban Growth Area in the 2035 Community Investments Plan.
An enlarged Urban Area of Influence was granted by the County Commission in April, 2016. This revision of the Urban Growth Area would be consistent with the expanded Urban Area of Influence.
Garden Plain has experienced increased annexation and development activity. They have a good relationship with developers in the proposed area of influence and want to continue maintaining the integrity of the area.
Rationale for Requested Revisions to Mount Hope’s Urban Growth Area:
The revisions would make the Urban Growth Area consistent with Mount Hope’s latest comprehensive plan.
The revisions remove some critical floodplain areas from their growth area and add an area for commercial and industrial growth south of their downtown area.
Rationale for Requested Revisions to Mulvane’s Urban Growth Area:
Mulvane feels that they need to revise their 2035 Urban Growth Area to reflect a longer time frame than their current comprehensive plan which goes to the year 2023.
There is growing interest in the 95th Street corridor which has resulted in more interest along Rock Road to the north of Mulvane as well as 95th and Greenwich. (Greenwich is considered the most viable north-south leg going up to Kellogg/US-54 from 95th Street for the South Area Parkway.)
In the Derby/Mulvane Joint Area Plan 95th Street is the long-term dividing line between Derby and Mulvane. 95th Street was chosen because there is a natural ridge in the area that makes sense as a dividing line for sewer service between the two communities.
Mulvane says it can serve out to 127th Street East with sewer service. However, they feel that an urban growth area drawn midway between Greenwich and 127th makes more sense at this time. This would allow them to manage development activity on both sides of Greenwich Road.
Mulvane already has water and sewer service in place along the Highway 53 corridor, and would like to designate the area one half mile north of it as their 2035 Urban Growth Area. They would like to have more control of what happens or does not happen in this area. Much of it is in the flood plain and their water well fields are also in the area.
At the meeting on March 2, 2017 the Advanced Plans Committee felt that both the Mt. Hope and Garden Plain requested revisions were consistent with the Community Investment Plan. It felt Mulvane’s requested revisions were much larger in scale than necessary and wanted more substantiation of Mulvane’s actual growth prospects and ability to serve the areas of expansion.
On June 8, 2017 the MAPC held a public hearing and continued it on June 22, 2017. No one spoke at the hearing. The MAPC voted to approve the Urban Growth Area amendments for Mt. Hope and Garden Plain per the Advanced Plans recommendation as being consistent with the Community Investments Plan, and passed a resolution adopting the revised 2035 Urban Growth Areas Map as an amendment to the Comprehensive Plan.
Alternatives: Three (3) options are available to the Board of County Commissioners now that the MAPC has adopted the revised 2035 Urban Growth Areas Map as an amendment to the Wichita-Sedgwick County Comprehensive Plan:
1. Adopt the resolution that contains the Comprehensive Plan amendment as recommended by the MAPC (simple majority vote);
2. Override the MAPC’s recommendations by a 2/3 majority vote (4 votes); or
3. Return the matter to the MAPC for further consideration, with a statement specifying the Board’s basis for the failure to approve or disapprove (simple majority vote).
Financial Considerations: N/A. Adoption of these Comprehensive Plan amendments does not obligate the City or the County to make any capital improvements; the plan is only a guide to future decision-making.
Legal Considerations: Approved as to form and signed by County Counselor’s Office. State statute requires that a Comprehensive Plan be adopted by a locality and regularly reviewed in order to regulate land subdivisions. In particular, K.S.A. 12-747 governs the procedure for the annual review of a plan. The Comprehensive Plan, or amendments to it, must be adopted by the governing body after the local planning commission has held an advertised public hearing and submitted its recommendations.
Policy Considerations: Not applicable.
Outside Attendees: Not applicable.
Multimedia Presentation: PowerPoint.