Olathe’s new comprehensive plan begins shaping future development decisions

Olathe’s recently adopted Elevate Olathe Comprehensive Plan is being used in a pending rezoning and preliminary site development-plan case that could add townhouses, storefronts and street improvements near 133rd Street and Black Bob Road.

The City Council is scheduled to consider the request on Aug. 4, 2026. The proposal, called The Row at Uptown, remains subject to council action and later site-plan review if it advances.

What is proposed

AAG Farms LLC is seeking to rezone approximately 4.99 acres southeast of 133rd Street and Black Bob Road from AG Agricultural zoning to PD Planned District zoning.

The preliminary plan calls for 44 townhouse units and 5,280 square feet of commercial storefront space. The proposed Planned District would use project-specific zoning and design standards for the mixed-use development.

Olathe’s Planning Commission reviewed the case on July 13 and recommended approval. City staff also recommended approval of the rezoning and preliminary site development plan, including a condition that the project be built in a single phase. The recommendation is not the final decision.

How Elevate Olathe factors into the case

The Elevate Olathe future-land-use map identifies the property as Community Commercial. The city staff report says that designation generally supports commercial and office uses along major roads, with residential uses allowed as a complementary part of a mixed-use format.

Staff connected the proposal to plan goals involving small-scale commercial uses near residences, mixed-use development, placemaking, connected neighborhoods and “missing middle” housing. The report also says the project would provide a transition between commercial properties to the south and multifamily zoning to the north.

That guidance is part of the staff analysis, not an approval. Elevate Olathe does not rezone the property or authorize construction. The separate decisions before the City Council are the requested PD zoning and preliminary site development plan.

What the proposed district would allow

The custom Planned District standards would require a mixed-use format and at least 5,000 square feet of commercial area. Residential buildings would be three or four stories, with a maximum height of 55 feet.

The plan proposes at least 5% common open space and 2.5% active open space. The submitted layout shows 23% common open space and 2.6% active open space, including a furnished plaza and two seating areas.

Five-foot sidewalks would connect the commercial buildings and residential units, and the development would include two pedestrian gateway entrances. Where parking fronts a public street, the standards call for a landscaped area and a low masonry wall.

The design rules would require a French Renaissance architectural style, Class 1 materials on building facades, front porches for the townhouses, recessed garage doors and two balconies for each dwelling unit. City staff says final architectural and site details would be reviewed during the final site development-plan process.

Street and utility changes

The proposal includes two access points from 133rd Street: one full-access connection and one limited-access connection. The developer would construct 133rd Street with required turn lanes and medians from Black Bob Road to the eastern property line.

A temporary cul-de-sac would be built at the east end of the site to allow for a future road extension. A northbound turn lane would also be added on Black Bob Road for traffic turning onto 133rd Street.

The site would require an extension of the City of Olathe water main along 133rd Street. It would connect to an existing Johnson County Wastewater sewer main located offsite in the stream corridor east of the property. Stormwater detention is proposed on the property to the north through an agreement with that landowner, while water-quality facilities would be installed onsite.

What residents should watch

The immediate question is whether the City Council approves, denies or modifies RZ26-0005 on Aug. 4. Approval would establish the Planned District framework and advance the preliminary plan, but it would not mean the project is under construction or guaranteed to be built.

If the request advances, residents should watch the final site development-plan review, including building placement, landscaping, open-space details, access design and infrastructure requirements. The official case record is available through Olathe’s Legistar and planning records.

Sources

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