Vision Metcalf

In the mid-2000s, Overland Park began to see signs of decline in some of its older areas. Aging retail centers along Metcalf Avenue highlighted the community’s changing landscape.

In response, the City launched a planning effort to address these challenges along Metcalf, the community’s central corridor. This work led to the adoption of the Vision Metcalf Plan in 2008.

The Vision Metcalf Plan outlines the plan’s goals, objectives, recommendations and methodology. It includes visions for land use, transportation, streets and landscaping, along with detailed concepts for five subareas along or near Metcalf Avenue, and guidance for next steps toward implementation.

Plan Documents

Form-Based Code + Downtown Regulating Plan Map

The downtown form-based code was one of the first implementation efforts for Vision Metcalf. Adopted in 2011, the code focuses on the physical form of buildings and their relationship to the city street to create a mix of uses in a walkable environment.

The boundaries of the form-based code area are generally defined as downtown Overland Park. This area has a special zoning designation, known as the downtown form district. Although uses are regulated in the downtown form district, the emphasis is on creating buildings that are adaptable over time. Projects that conform to the code requirements can receive administrative approval from staff.