From time to time, the City of Lee’s Summit receives petitions to annex or detach land. Some are simple requests to clear up jurisdictional boundaries. Others are for larger parcels of land that may involve plans for future development. In these cases, City departments, the Planning Commission and City Council all play a role in reviewing and analyzing the requests. To aid in the decision-making process, the petitioner should provide background information, such as:

• intentions for the development of the area;
• anticipated changes in levels of service associated with a change in municipal responsibility;
• the anticipated timeframe associated with providing those services as the area is developed; and
• what communication and resulting feedback have been received from occupants, property owners and affected school districts within and around the proposed annexation/ detachment area.

The City’s intentions are to ensure changes in municipal boundaries will tangibly benefit the City and its residents. Considerations include:

• Lee’s Summit residents’ quality of life and levels of service will be maintained or improved;
• the City’s ability to provide services efficiently will be made easier or will not be impacted;
• future development brought about by the change in municipal boundaries will not create adverse impacts or untimely development pressure on Lee’s Summit;
• proposed boundaries do not create irregular geographies with confusing service areas, rather they follow significant features such as rights of way and/or topographic ridgelines (watersheds);
• jurisdictional responsibility for maintaining streets and right-of-ways are clearly defined; and agreements are established with neighboring jurisdictions defining how development along a shared street will be designed, reviewed and approved.

The City may amend the comprehensive plan to respond to changes identified during the evaluation process; to improve or clarify content; or to incorporate other plans, such as service, infrastructure, district, or corridor plans. These plans could originate from the City or other entities. Development Services will evaluate each new plan and recommend adjustments as part of the normal comprehensive plan maintenance process. Plans sponsored by the City may be adopted as amendments to the comprehensive plan. This process will allow the plan to remain an effective guide for decision-making for many years to come.

Individuals may wish to submit an application to amend the land use plan to modify policies or guidance related to land in which they own or have an interest.

A completed amendment application will contain information supporting the request for a plan modification. The application should explain how the proposed amendment:

• supports the comprehensive plan goals and policies;
• preserves efficiency of City services provision, including response time for public safety operations, water, sewer and available capacity for nearby streets. For applications requesting a more intense land use, the application should evaluate whether City water and gravity sewer is immediately available and has sufficient capacity;
• improves the functionality and quality of the surrounding area;
• preserves air and water quality and natural resources, such as riparian areas, and wetlands.

The application should also evaluate the supply of land in the vicinity of the proposed amendment and indicate why an increase in land designated at the proposed intensity level is needed in the area.

Once a properly completed application has been submitted, Development Services will evaluate the requested amendment and prepare an accompanying staff report. The Planning Commission will evaluate the application and staff report, hold a public hearing, and act on the requested amendment. Another public hearing will be held by the City Council to complete the process.