Property Profiles
Zoned for Nature
Colton Lakes plans for common grounds, green spaces and tree preservation in southern Johnson County.

With America’s population topping 300 million this year, many of the country’s planning commissions are coming up with new zoning ordinances in an attempt to preserve pockets of green space as suburbia continues its outward creep.

One of the newest ideas in zoning is known as RP-OE, which stands for Planned Open Space Estate Residential. The goal of RP-OE zoning is to achieve lower population density in the very newest neighborhoods, according to Reed Fuller. Fuller is developer of Colton Lakes, the first new home subdivision in Johnson County to receive the RP-OE designation.

Located at 151st Street and Switzer Road, Colton Lakes occupies a 30-acre parcel of land, of which 40 percent will be devoted to common grounds and open green space. The remaining acreage has been divided into 30 sites for homes priced from the high $500,000s to the $900,000s, according to John Hazeltine, a Realtor with Realty Executives of Kansas City, the exclusive marketing agent for Colton Lakes.

“The way Colton Lakes is laid out, most of the homes do not back up to another neighbor’s property,” Hazeltine says. The added emphasis on green space translates in this community to the preservation of an already established lake; the creation of a new, second lake; and a large, green beltway or tree line behind each cluster of homesites.

“There are some really mature trees in Colton Lakes that will stay,” Hazeltine continues. “This type of zoning makes tree preservation possible.” A $6,000 landscape allowance for each house also will enhance the neighborhood’s natural environment.

RP-OE zoning calls for the number of homes in a subdivision to equal the number of acres. Hence the 30-acre parcel Fuller put together to develop Colton Lakes could have no more than 30 homes on it. This does not mean that RPOE developments will have full-acre lots. Rather, the “one house per acre” restriction is the means by which lower population density is achieved overall.

The city of Overland Park has zoned all the land from 151st to 159th streets, Switzer to Quivira, as RP-OE, which “really makes this geographical area special,” Hazeltine says. In fact, Fuller has already developed another 26 acres across Switzer Road, to the southwest, for Colton Lake Estates, where 11 of 26 homesites priced from $129,000 to $239,900 have already sold.

Back at Colton Lakes, fifteen builders have 18 homes under roof that are available for sale to the public. In addition, builders have purchased five lots that are reserved for buyers who wish to custom-build their homes from the ground up.

Most of the available homes are 1 ½-story or two-story plans designed with 3,900 to 4,500 square feet of living space above grade and three or four-car garages, several with side entries. Builders in Colton Lakes include Custom Homes, Estate Homes, Garza Building Co., H&S Builders, Hartis, IGW Construction, Jim Hoerl, John Slatinsky Construction, Lambie-Geer, Paul Daly Homes, Prohaska Builders, Renaissance, Ryan Homes, and United Engineers.

All homes must have masonry or stucco exteriors on all four sides. Sprinkler systems in front and back also are required.

Developer Reed Fuller began acquiring the land for Colton Lakes in 2002, negotiating and purchasing from eight landowners to get the 30 acres. Fuller has nearly 30 years of experience as a homebuilder and developer. He has developed or partnered in the development of Greystone Lake, Mission Prairie, Hunter’s Creek in Olathe and several small, fill-in areas throughout Johnson County.

In addition to the fishing lakes, mature trees and green belts, Colton Lakes and Colton Lakes Estates also will benefit from a shared community pool with a cabana and an additional baby pool on site. Homes association dues are $475 a year per household, with an additional $250 annual fee for the pools once they are established.

Students who live in Colton Lakes will attend Cedar Hills Elementary, Pleasant Ridge Middle School and Blue Valley West High School, all conveniently situated on one large academic campus near 165th Street and Antioch Road.

Residents will enjoy convenient access to the city’s highway system by way of U.S. 69 Alternate, only a few minutes’ drive away. The shopping corridor along 151st Street includes many restaurants and large retail outlets such as Target.

“Here you can drive north for 15 minutes and be anywhere on the College Boulevard corridor, or you can drive south three minutes and be out in the country,” Hazeltine says. “It’s the best of both worlds.”

For more information on Colton Lakes or Colton Lakes Estates, contact John Hazeltine at 913/402-8500 or 816/213-0600.