Prairie Village is a fully developed mature community primarily residential in character. Many of the office and commercial areas are facing redevelopment because of demographic and market changes in the city. The existing office and commercial zoning districts provide abroad range of uses, many of which would not be compatible with the adjacent residential neighborhoods. The C-3 District provides the opportunity to limit the uses permitted at a specific location and the flexibility to change the permitted uses from one location to another. By specifying the uses permitted in the C-3 District, greater opportunities for redevelopment may be available while at the same time the residential quality of the adjacent areas will be preserved and maintained. The C-3 District is an applied for district because the uses must be specified and site plan approval is required. The site plan approval requirement minimizes the undesirable external impacts of a use or uses on surrounding property through the use of performance design standards.

Permitted uses in this district are specified in chapter 19.27 "Zoning Districts and Uses." They are either generally allowed, allowed by conditional use permit review, or by special use permit. In addition, accessory uses may be permitted subject to chapter 19.34.

In District C-3 the height of buildings, the minimum dimensions of lots and yards and the minimum lot area per family permitted on any lot shall be as follows in sections 19.22.015—19.22-035 (for exceptions, see chapter 19.44, Height and Area Exceptions.)

Height of buildings in this district shall be measured in feet and no building or structure shall exceed 36 feet except that an office building on a lot containing not less than four and one half acres may be constructed to a height exceeding 36 feet. In the case of office buildings, the height is measured as follows:

(a)

The maximum vertical distance in feet from the average finish grade abutting the building to the highest point of the roof or any parapet or mansard, or to the mean height between eaves and ridge of gable, hip and gambrel roofs. Heating, ventilating, air conditioning and elevator equipment located on flat roofs may extend above the maximum height not more than eight feet;

(b)

Finish grade in this instance shall not include such depressions as dock ramps, areaways and below grade stairways but shall be the ground elevation at the point where it is the lowest;

(c)

The use of foundation grading to increase the height of the building is not permitted;

(d)

Any building in District C-3 which is located on a four and one half acre or larger site and which exceeds 36 in height shall provide not less than the following setbacks:

(1)

The front setback shall not be less than 60 feet for the building and 15 feet for parking areas.

(2)

The side setback on the street side in the case of a corner lot shall not be less than 40 feet for the building and 15 feet for a parking area.

(3)

Side setbacks not adjacent to a street shall be 30 feet and the rear setback shall be 70 feet.

Any building or structure hereafter constructed shall provide a front yard the minimum depth of which shall be 30 feet for the building and 15 feet for parking.

There shall be a side yard on each side of the lot, such side yard to be not less than ten feet for one story buildings, 15 feet for two story buildings, and 20 feet for two and one half story buildings. There shall be a side yard of not less than 15 feet on the street side of a corner lot.

The depth of the rear yard shall not be less than 35 feet.

Any residential building constructed or located in District C-3 shall comply with height, yard, area regulations, and impervious coverage of the district corresponding to that dwelling type: Single family dwellings and group homes shall comply with District R-1; two family dwellings shall comply with District R-2; multiple dwelling buildings shall comply with District R-3.

(Ord. No. 2494, § IX, 7-1-2024)

All applications for District C-3 shall be accompanied by a site plan and the site plan shall be prepared, reviewed and approved in accordance with chapter 19.32 Site Plan Approval.

No open parking areas shall be located closer than 15 feet to a public street, or no closer than eight feet to a property line other that a street line. Parking areas within the building, or within a parking structure extending more than six feet above the finished grade shall comply with the setback regulations of the main building. Such parking setback and other open areas shall be brought to finish grade and planted with grass, shrubs and trees, and maintained to at least the average level of maintenance of the other developed property within the immediate neighborhood.

Off-street parking shall be provided on the premises in accordance with the requirements for each type of use permitted.

See chapter 19.46 for off-street parking and loading regulations.