Council defers rezoning request for 2450 Southeast 25th Street after questions about applicant registration

The governing body voted April 21 to defer action on a rezoning request affecting 1.14 acres at 2450 Southeast 25th Street to the May 5 meeting after extended council discussion about applicant standing and public‑meeting format.

Planning Director Dan Warner outlined staff’s review: the property is currently R1 (single‑family) but staff recommended rezoning to either M1 or M1A rather than denser M2; the planning commission recommended M1A to allow up to four units per building and approximately 15 dwelling units per acre. Warner explained M1 allows duplexes while M1A allows quadplexes and townhouse‑style arrangements.

Council members asked for clearer public outreach and for the differences between M1, M1A and M2 to be better explained in public notices. Council Member Bradberry asked that a letter submitted before the meeting — which asserted the applicant company was not registered in Kansas — be included in the record and pressed staff and the city attorney to verify the business’s registration and legal capacity to request rezoning. The city attorney reported preliminary findings that the entity appears registered in Florida but noted that non‑Kansas LLCs may still own property in Kansas and have standing to seek rezoning; the attorney offered to confirm details if council wanted to defer.

Given those open questions and the council’s desire to ensure due diligence before making a final, potentially irreversible zoning decision, a motion to defer the rezoning to May 5 passed unanimously.

What’s next: Planning staff and the city attorney will verify the applicant’s registration and provide that information to the governing body before the May 5 meeting so council can complete its consideration.