Background

The Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board is a quasi-judicial board that was created in March 1976, through an interlocal agreement between the Manhattan City Commission and the Riley County Commission, to provide for coordinated planning within a jurisdictional area called the Manhattan Urban Area, which includes the Manhattan city limits and the surrounding urbanizing area. The focus of the board is to develop, adopt, and update the comprehensive plan and other policy documents for the board's jurisdictional area, and formulation of development codes for the area. These policy and implementation documents address a range of community issues such as growth and development, land use, natural resources and open space, flood plains, housing, neighborhoods, the downtown, highway corridors and transportation. The board also reviews development applications and planning and zoning proposals, and forwards recommendations to the City or County Commission for final action.

The Board contains seven members, with the City and County Commissions each appointing three members, and the seventh member being an alternating appointment by the County and the City.

Meetings

The Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board meets on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the City Commission Room at City Hall, 1101 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas. 

The first meeting of the month is a legislative meeting, during which the board conducts public hearings to consider and make recommendations on applications involving the annexation, zoning and subdivision of land, and proposed amendments to regulations and land use plans. 

The second meeting of the month is typically reserved for work sessions, during which the board works with the community and planning division on various studies and planning initiatives, to address both the strategic and long-range planning needs of the community, but the second meeting can be used for legislative meetings if needed. Below is the current meeting schedule and corresponding application deadlines for the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board.

Staff Liaisons

Barry Beagle
Senior Planner
Community Development
E-mail Barry Beagle
785-587-2425

Additional Information

• Fill out an interest form to be a Manhattan Area Urban Planning Board member
• Sign up for updates from the board