Lenexa, KS Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)
Key Facts
- City Center guidelines
- Dated April 17, 2007, amended June 16, 2015; Ord. 4935
- CC setbacks
- 0 to 15 feet mixed use streets; 5 to 20 feet residential
- CC height, retail
- 25 feet minimum, 45 feet maximum
- CC height, mixed use
- 35 feet minimum, 110 feet maximum
- HBD height and setbacks
- 45 feet maximum; 10-foot setbacks
- HBD signs
- Downtown Design Guidelines control over the sign article
- Appeal window
- 30 days to the Board of Zoning Appeals
Summary
In the City of Lenexa, Kansas, projects in the CC Planned City Center District must adhere to the Lenexa City Center Neighborhood Design Standards and Guidelines, adopted by reference in the zoning code (dated April 17, 2007, amended June 16, 2015). Signs in the HBD downtown district answer to the separate Lenexa Downtown Design Guidelines.
F. Property Development Regulations: ... The Lenexa City Center Neighborhood Design Standards and Guidelines, dated April 17, 2007 and amended on June 16, 2015, prepared by the City of Lenexa in cooperation with LMN Architects, BNIM Architects and George Butler Associates ("Design Guidelines") are hereby incorporated by reference for the purpose of providing property development standards and guidelines in the CC zoning district. ... For each development project in the CC zoning district, property development regulations shall adhere to the Design Guidelines and the following standards and should be incorporated into an approved development plan and/or the associated development agreement. ... ... 6. Design Guidelines: ... The anticipated mixing of uses, inclusion of high quality materials, use of unique site layouts and dramatic building designs should all lead to a vibrant City Center for Lenexa. The Design Guidelines and the Comprehensive Plan provide standards and guidelines which shall guide the design of projects in the CC District. In addition, more specific design standards for the development shall be established in the approved plans and/or associated development agreement.
Full Breakdown
Lenexa City Code § 4-1-B-28-F incorporates the City Center guidelines into the zoning code. The City prepared them with LMN Architects, BNIM Architects and George Butler Associates, and Ordinance No. 4935 adopted them. At least three official copies are kept with the City Clerk for public inspection. Each CC project has to follow the guidelines plus the district standards, and those standards are written into the approved development plan or the associated development agreement, where deviations can also be approved.
The district standards carry numbers. A freestanding CC project should be at least 20 acres, and block lengths should not exceed 400 feet. Setbacks and build-to lines run 0 to 15 feet on mixed use streets and 5 to 20 feet on residential streets. Building height ranges are 20 to 100 feet for residential, 25 to 45 feet for retail, and 35 to 110 feet for mixed use and all others. A parking demand study is required at preliminary plan unless the Director of Community Development approves otherwise, and a project signage scheme is required at final plan.
Downtown Lenexa proper is the HBD Planned Historic Business District, § 4-1-B-17. Its stated purposes include preserving buildings of historic significance and keeping new buildings in harmony with historic ones in style, form, color, proportion, texture and material. HBD sites have a 10-foot minimum setback from streets, a 10-foot minimum for other setbacks, and a 45-foot maximum height. Under § 4-1-E-7, all signs in the HBD district must conform to the adopted Lenexa Downtown Design Guidelines, and where the sign article and the Design Guidelines conflict, the Design Guidelines control. A bar or nightclub in the HBD district needs special use approval from the Governing Body.
Violations & Fines
A project that departs from the City Center Design Guidelines needs the deviation written into its approved development plan or development agreement. Code offenses with no specific punishment fall under § 1-1-C-3: a fine of not more than $2,500, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both. Decisions of the Community Development Director or Building Official can be appealed to the Board of Zoning Appeals, which is the Planning Commission, within 30 days under § 4-1-K-3.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which design guide applies in the Lenexa City Center?
Is there a separate guide for downtown Lenexa?
How tall can buildings be in the City Center district?
Can a project deviate from the City Center guidelines?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lenexa
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