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City of Lenexa Pedestrian Oriented Design Standards

Regulations
Kansas
Unknown
Municipal
City Of Lenexa   
Urban | Suburban |
The City Code of Lenexa, Kansas, provides for Pedestrian Oriented Design Standards in order to encourage people to walk, rather than drive, for short trips. Lenexa is located in northeastern Kansas, and is considered to be part of the Kansas City, Missouri metropolitan area. With a population of about 46,000 people, Lenexa was voted the #26 best American small town to live in by Money magazine in July 2009. The city is part of the region that is serviced by Johnson County Transit (the JO), which is a bus rapid transit (BRT) service that runs throughout the Kansas City area. In 1998, Lenexa published a report entitled “The Evaluation of the Urban Design Quality of Lenexa, Kansas” which emphasized the importance of enhancing the public realm in order to bring the community together. Also, the report discussed the importance of promoting compact development in an effort to decrease urban sprawl. The Pedestrian Oriented Design Standards are one attempt at making these goals a reality by establishing guidelines for sidewalks, crosswalks, and mandatory public spaces. Sidewalks must be connected to all main entrances of buildings, and there are width requirements for sidewalks that service parking lots (presumably in order to accommodate increased pedestrian flow out of the lot). The ordinance requires retail, office, and multi-family dwelling units to provide for public space with amenities such as seating, sculptures, and water features