The Overland Park Planning Commission voted 7‑2 on April 7 to deny Special Use Permit SUP2024‑27, an application from Southwind Management that would have allowed about 41 commercial vehicles to park overnight on property at 6300 Lamar Avenue.

Lede context: The item drew the largest public turnout of the meeting. Dozens of residents from nearby Kennett Place, Walmart Homeowners and other adjacent neighborhoods spent hours presenting safety, traffic, noise and precedent concerns, while the applicant and its counsel argued that revised site routing, landscaping and enforceable stipulations would mitigate impacts.

Why neighbors objected: Speakers repeatedly described the site as a residential gateway and said commercial vehicle parking would change the character of the office park and the neighborhood. Comments focused on safety for children walking or biking to nearby parks and schools, the difficulty of trucks turning onto Metcalf or using local streets, and a long‑running local enforcement concern about a separate bus fleet that residents said showed weak municipal enforcement on vehicle storage. Residents asked the commission to preserve the office‑park character and avoid creating a precedent that would invite other vehicle yards.

Applicant’s case: Southwind’s representatives said the company is expanding office operations in the city and that only a portion of the business’s fleet would be parked overnight at 6300 Lamar. They described operational controls — GPS tracking, staggered departures, a proposed southern parking location within the campus and additional landscape screening — and told commissioners they agreed to staff stipulations and to a planting schedule. Counsel said the company could and would restrict trucks from using Lamar Avenue as an access route.

Commission and staff review: Staff and the site plan review committee supported the applicant’s revised parking location at the southwest corner of the campus, noting additional landscaping and a routing plan that avoids Lamar. Several commissioners praised the applicant for changes since a February hearing, but also expressed continued concern about pedestrian safety, the adequacy of the frontage road and the policy precedent. Some commissioners said the item raised larger policy questions about whether the city should allow commercial vehicle depots inside office parks.

Outcome: Commissioner Reyes moved to deny the SUP; the motion passed 7‑2. Following the vote, planners reminded the public the City Council will get the case on its May 5 agenda and that any party may testify there.

What residents asked for: A majority of speakers asked the commission to deny the request and to require the company to locate vehicle storage in an industrial area or a site outside of residential‑facing office parks. City officials and some commissioners noted that if Southwind or a future applicant can find properties in industrial parks or sites better separated from pedestrian routes, the approvals process would be simpler.