1. home and garden

April 2015
SPRING STARTS HERE!
Join us on Saturday, May 9 because Spring
Starts Here in Downtown Shawnee! The annual
downtown open house event has been revamped
and is kicking off the season with activities for the
whole family to enjoy. The event is from 9:00 a.m.
- 2:00 p.m. in Downtown Shawnee at Johnson
Drive and Nieman Road. The event will feature
open houses at downtown businesses, including
special sales and giveaways. There will also be a
farmers market, food trucks, and sidewalk chalk
artists. We will have plenty of sidewalk chalk on
hand for kids and kids at heart to create their own
masterpieces. Volunteers will also be working on
beautifying downtown by planting flowers.
Shawnee-based CoffeeCake KC and Crave of
KC will be returning for 2015, along with Cajun
Cabin and a new food vendor, Boyer’s Artisan
Meatballs. Many of our downtown restaurants and
food vendors will also be serving food outside to
join in on the fun!
Visitors will be able to enter a drawing to win
a Downtown Shawnee gift certificate through a
punch card promotion. To participate, visitors will
be required to stop by a set number of businesses
to receive a punch on their card. Participants will
not be required to make a purchase to earn your
punch on their card. Many of the participating
businesses will have special promotions or sales
during the open house so be sure to stop in to
find some great deals. You’ll be amazed at all that
Downtown Shawnee has to offer!
Street Improvement Program Task Force
In November 2014, Shawnee voters approved a new 10-year, 3/8 cent sales tax specifically designated
for maintenance and improvements to City streets, curbs, and sidewalks. The pavement sales tax took
effect on April 1, 2015.
The first full month of revenue distributions to the City will occur in late June. Revenues from this
tax will not be used as part of the 2015 street maintenance program that was approved by the Governing
Body on January 26.
The new sales tax revenue will allow the City to resurface 435 lane miles over the 10 year lifespan
of the tax. A portion of the new sales tax (1/8 cent) will be dedicated to funding new curbs, gutters
and sidewalks on streets that don't currently have them as well as upgrading the surface of additional
streets from chip seal to asphalt. On April 13, Mayor Jeff Meyers appointed 12 residents to the Street
Improvement Program Task Force, which will provide guidance to the City Council on how to prioritize
improvements with this portion of the new sales tax. The 12 members of the Task Force offer an equal
representation of all portions of Shawnee. Task Force meetings are scheduled for April 30, May 21, and
June 18. All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Little Theater at the Shawnee Civic Center Little
Theater. All Task Force meetings are open to the public.
www.cityofshawnee.org/trailsprings
Coyotes seen in Shawnee neighborhoods
The City has recently received
notice of coyote sightings in the area.
The breeding season is currently
in full swing and that is why there
are more coyotes on the move.
Additionally, the rabbit, squirrel, and
feral cat populations have boomed
in recent years so the coyote and fox
populations respond in kind.
Coyotes are closely related to
dogs and resemble a small German
Shepherd. Coyotes are brownish gray
in color with a lighter under-body,
with pointed, erect ears, a long slender
muzzle, and a bushy tail.
Coyotes are common in Shawnee
and their population ebbs and flows
with the amount of food available.
Coyotes eat a versatile diet and will
eat almost any food that is available. It
is common during the winter months,
as food supplies become scarcer, for
coyotes to be more active in search of
food. Coyotes are most active at night
when human activity is reduced, but
may be seen during the day.
Cats and small dogs can resemble
a coyote’s natural prey. It is suggested
that you not leave smaller pets outside
unattended and to remain aware of
your surroundings. Wildlife of any
kind does not recognize property lines
so look around when letting your
pets out, or your children are outside
playing. Coyotes do not see humans
as prey, but may associate people
Good Neighbor Program
Yard Maintenance
Winter is finally over and warmer weather is here at
last! This means that it is time to begin mowing the lawn
and keeping your weeds in check. Our City has adopted
regulations governing grass cutting and maintenance of
noxious weeds, which closely follows most other Kansas
municipalities’ regulations.
City regulations require a property owner to maintain
their property and the right-of-way abutting their property.
Grass and weeds cannot be taller than 8 inches on all
properties, except properties zoned agricultural. Vegetation
and trees should be trimmed so as not to impair vision or
obstruct travel of motorists or obstruct pedestrian travel on
sidewalks. Trees over the public right-of-way and sidewalks
should be trimmed up to a height of 14 feet. Ground cover
such as grass should be provided for all areas where soil is
exposed. Shrubs and hedges should be neatly trimmed and
maintained. It is illegal for anyone to deposit yard waste of
any kind into the streets, curbs, gutters, creeks, or streams.
For more information about Shawnee’s Good Neighbor
Program visit http://gsh.cityofshawnee.org/pdf/events/
GoodNeighbors.pdf. For more information about yard
maintenance, contact the Codes Department at 742-6010.
with food. If you see a coyote, act
aggressively, wave your arms arm,
and make loud noises. Coyotes may
be attracted to yards with unsecured
garbage cans, exposed compost piles,
vegetable gardens, fish ponds, fruit
trees, and bird feeders. As with most
wild animals it is strongly advised that
you do not intentionally feed coyotes.
If wildlife finds a way into
your residence, contact the Police
Department Dispatch non-emergency
line (913) 631-2150. For more
information, contact the Kansas
Department of Wildlife and Parks at
(785) 296-2281.
Shawnee Shine Up
May is Shawnee Shine Up month! Help keep Shawnee
a beautiful place to live, work, and grow!
Each May, citizens are encouraged to spruce up
outdoors. This could be anything planting flowers or
trees, to landscaping, or clean-up projects where citizens
volunteer to clean-up areas of need. If you think your
neighborhood could use a sprucing or cleaning, gather a
group and tackle the project this month! Then sit back and
enjoy the sites for the rest of the summer. Just be sure to
let us know about it. Better yet, take a picture and we'll
post it on Facebook! Every group that participates will get
a Certificate of Appreciation and be recognized by Mayor
Distler at the City Council Meeting on June 8.
For ideas, supplies, and to share what you're doing
please contact the City's Volunteer Coordinator, Elizabeth
Griffith at [email protected] or (913) 742-6244.
SH
A W NEE
Shi
n e Up
!
New Housing Development for Downtown Neighborhoods
T
he Shawnee Planning Department would like to
get your input about the newly proposed Single
Family Residential Overlay. We will be holding
an informational meeting at Shawnee City Hall (11110
Johnson Drive) on May 27 at 6:30 p.m.
In order to accommodate for the changing housing
trends and to encourage new development in downtown
neighborhoods, the City is working to develop an overlay
district from Quivira Road east to the City limits, and
from Shawnee Mission Parkway north to 55th Street. The
Overlay District could only be utilized in that area and
would require approval of a plat and a rezoning into the
overlay district. The overlay regulations would allow for
modifications to the standard Single-Family Residential
(R-1) zoning district, including reducing the overall lot
area, lot width, side and rear yard setbacks, and overall
livable floor area. Design and parking standards will also
be required to be met for approval of any rezoning requests.
The demographic makeup of the Kansas City region
and the nation is changing. The older adult population
is expected to increase dramatically as the baby boom
generation moves into retirement, and people are generally
living longer than previous generations. According to
KC Communities for All Ages, the number of family
households headed by a husband and wife continues to
drop in the region. The Kansas City region now includes
more single-family households and more households
without children than ever before. Demographic changes
mean that the housing wants and needs of community
members are also changing.
While the overall housing demands are changing,
empty nester households and first time home owners want
many of the same things, including accessible, affordable,
and a variety of housing types in neighborhoods that offer
jobs, high-quality education, recreation opportunities,
health care, safety, and walkability. Specifically, some
aging households are looking to downsize to smaller,
accessible, and affordable homes while still remaining
in the community. Younger households without children
are looking for smaller, inexpensive places to start
home ownership. The neighborhoods around Downtown
Shawnee offer many of these opportunities.
The Community Connections Nieman Road study
completed in 2014 recommended adding a variety of new
housing types downtown to accommodate for the shifting
housing needs and to create economic growth. Housing can
be the most effective way to support local retail because
residents patron local goods and services more times than
area workers. One of the ways suggested in the study to add
housing units is to encourage infill housing. Specifically,
allowing for the development of cottage homes that fit
the scale and character of the existing neighborhoods
surrounding the downtown business corridor.
Cottage housing units are smaller detached singlefamily homes. Typical cottage style homes are 900 to
1,300 square feet and have generous front porches and
small yards. They also can provide accessible dwelling
unit options. Due to the smaller sizes of the homes they
can fit into relatively small parcels of property. These
homes can easily be developed on single family residential
lots or large lots can be subdivided for a grouping of
cottage homes. The new housing stock can help stabilize
and improve existing neighborhoods. Design standards
are often established to ensure that new housing units are
compatible with the aesthetics of the neighborhood.
The City’s Zoning Regulations currently do not allow
for cottage home type development by right, even though
many of the original Shawnee neighborhoods were built
with similar standards. For example, all new single story
homes must be at least 1,100 square feet while Johnson
County property records show that some homes built before
this regulation are around 800 square feet. Additionally,
the lot sizes currently required by the Zoning Regulations
are often times larger than existing single family lots in the
downtown area. Development at the current standards can
be difficult to achieve at times.
More information about the open house will be
sent out to neighborhood residents in the following
weeks. For questions please contact Lauren Grashoff at
(913) 742-6226 or [email protected].
Google Fiber
Contractors with Google started installing access fiber for
area homes starting March 30th. Google crews are placing
buried conduits from Shawnee Mission Parkway north to
Johnson Drive and Quivira Road to the eastern City limits.
Here’s some important information about what you can expect
during the construction process:
• Some temporary lane closures will occur as Google
contractors work along residential streets this summer.
• Crews may need to access properties with utility poles or
underground equipment.
• Digging in easement areas may be necessary to install the
fiber optic equipment.
• Google Fiber’s work in your neighborhood should not
disrupt your utility services.
The City communicates regularly with officials from
Google as well as their subcontractors to address issues that
are brought to our attention by residents. This is done in order
to try and limit the amount of inconveniences to the public as
these projects move forward.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding the Google
Fiber construction work occurring in your neighborhood,
please call Google’s construction phone line at (877) 4546959. If you feel like a question or concern of yours has not
been properly addressed by Google Fiber, please contact
Matthew Schmitz at City Hall at (913) 742-6270 or by email
at [email protected].
If you have questions about specific Google Fiber products,
you are encouraged to contact their customer support team at
(866) 777-7550.
Trail Springs creek clean-up
Trail Springs residents have expressed concerns over the
years about flooding and the aesthetics of the creek that runs
along the west side of the neighborhood. One of the City’s
goals in the 2015 Trail Springs Action Plan is to partner with
the neighborhood to maintain channels within Trail Springs
in order to help maintain the character of the neighborhood.
At the last neighborhood meeting in September 2014,
neighborhood attendees and City staff agreed that exploring
and planning a channel clean-up by partnering with
property owners, neighborhood members, volunteers, and
the City was a good opportunity to maintain the channel.
The City is contracting with a tree trimming service to clear
the underbrush and overgrowth in the channel to adequately
convey water in the creek area. Crews should be in the area
this spring. City staff is coordinating with neighborhood
leaders on the clean-up efforts.
Summer Events Calendar
April
25 - Tidy Town East of Pflumm
may
2 - Farmers Market opens City Hall parking lot
2 - Patron Appreciation Day at Mill Creek Activity
Center and Tomahawk Hills Golf Course
16 - Overnight Fishing at Shawnee Mission Park
23 - Shawnee public pools open
June
3 - Bloody Mary Roll-out Party at Shawnee Town
4-7 - Old Shawnee Days
5 - Summer Splash at Splash Cove
6 - Tomato Roll at Shawnee Town
27 - July 5 - Flags for Freedom
july
3 - Popsicles in the Park at Herman Laird Park
4 - Freedom Fling at Splash Cove
9 - Touch-A-Truck at Herman Laird Park
16 - 1920s Game Night at Shawnee Town
23 - Jammin & Dancin on the Green at Shawnee Town
25 - Shave and a Hair Cut, Two Bits at Shawnee Town
26 - Sunday Funday at Splash Cove
Planning Director
Paul Chaffee
742.6225
Block Party Information
631.2155
Code Violations
742.6010
Civic Centre
631.5200
Councilmember Mike Kemmling
667.9888
Councilmember Eric Jenkins
669.1076