Goddard City Council delays vote on duplex regulations. Here’s why

A resolution that would place significant new restrictions on the construction of duplexes in Goddard was tabled by the Goddard City Council on Monday.

The decision came after City Manager Craig Crossette told council members that he had received some correspondence from the Wichita Area Builders Association on the day of the City Council meeting, and he thought it would be prudent to talk to WABA before approving any changes in duplex regulations.

“I don’t want anyone to get the impression that we’re having cold feet on the spirit of the law as it is, but more so we think it is important to have a lengthier conversation with (WABA) and get some of their feedback” before taking a vote on the resolution, Crossette told council members.

The City Council agreed to postpone discussion on the resolution until its June 15 meeting. If the council wanted to make any changes to the proposed resolution, then a vote could be held on June 23, Crossette said.

“I don’t think it’ll hurt us to wait another week or two and get some more additional feedback from them,” Mayor George Liebe told council members.

As currently proposed, the resolution would include the following changes:

• Duplexes may not make up more than 40 percent of the total number of homes in future developments.

• New design standards would seek to diversify the look and improve the perceived quality of these properties.

• Developers must install a private amenity that meets the standards provided in the resolution.

• The proposed resolution allows the City Council to waive in part or in whole provisions of the resolution in the event they are deemed impractical. The example given in documents available at the May 18 meeting indicated that if a developer was rezoning several lots downtown it would be impractical to require a neighborhood park.

• The current version of the resolution has removed language related to irrigation, lighting and other elements in an attempt to prevent a developer from stating these items constitute an amenity.

• Five-foot-wide sidewalks would be required on all through streets in new developments featuring duplexes, and a minimum of two trees per lot will be required before a certificate of occupancy is issued.

• Varied porches, rooflines and facade depths would be required to create variety and individuality of the dwelling units. In addition, windows must make up at least 10% of the front wall of each home, and garage doors may not take up more than 50% of the front of the home.

• A minimum of 30% of front exterior walls or side walls that face the street would be required to be finished with decorative masonry, stone or stucco. “Synthetic or imitation materials with a false or ‘tacked on’ appearance” will not be allowed without the written approval of the city manager or his or her designee, according to wording used during the joint Planning Commission-City Council meeting on May 11.

• Roofs and exterior paint colors would have to be varied and have predominantly earth-tone colors.

• Side and rear elevations, garages, carports and all accessory structures would have to show the “same level of design, aesthetic quality and architectural detailing” as the front-facing parts of the main structure. “Long, monotonous rows of garage doors and building walls” would not be allowed in the current version of the resolution.

Until now, Goddard has approved or denied each duplex project on a case-by-case basis.

“We’ve never had an official document in writing,” Crossette said in an interview with The Eagle before the May 18 meeting. “We’ve been working over the last three or four months [to create a document] that uniformly applies restrictive covenants on duplexes that are going to be built.”

A possible downside to the tighter regulations, Crossette acknowledged in an interview with The Eagle last month, is that the mandates may mean higher rental rates.

The number of people renting instead of owning duplexes in Goddard was not immediately available. Several developments – both those still under construction and those fully developed – had For Lease and For Rent signs earlier this week.

In a field adjacent to the entrance of the 32-unit Lions Den development, which is being built catty-corner to Goddard High School, API Property Management has a prominent For Lease sign. At least two Lions Den duplexes were listed on its website earlier this week – one renting for $1,250 and another renting for $1,350.

Both feature three bedrooms and two baths and a total of 1,200 square feet. The less expensive unit will be available for occupancy in mid-October, and the other unit scheduled for occupancy on Dec. 11.

On the other side of U.S. 54, off 199th Street, a finished development featuring a mix of duplexes and single-family homes had a For Rent sign in the yard of the first duplex in the neighborhood. Information on it was not immediately available.

This report was published May 17 and updated May 18 to reflect actions at the Goddard City Council meeting.

This story was originally published May 17, 2026 at 6:00 AM.