City Center in Lenexa is getting another new development, this time on the northeast corner of Renner Boulevard and 87th Street Parkway.
The Lenexa council unanimously approved in a 7-0 vote Tuesday evening the preliminary development plan and construction of two buildings, a four-story and five-story in an L-shape footprint at the intersection, with a combined 227 apartments and 9,615 square feet of space for office, retail and dining. Councilmember Steve Lemons was absent.
The developer, Renner Development Company LLC — which includes Clockwork Architecture + Design and Landplan Engineering — presented design concepts and amenities to the council and fielded their questions and concerns on parking, stormwater drainage, walkability and overall cohesiveness with the greater plans for City Center as it develops.
City administrator Eric Wade said the developer addressed many concerns from Lenexa staff on activating the corner of Renner and 87th that provides connectivity with the rest of City Center.
“Their putting so much work into the corner meant a lot to us from a staff standpoint, particularly since it’s on the gateway corner to the whole City Center,” Wade said.
Here’s a rendering of the Renner 87 Flats:
The development includes a parking garage structure and full parking garage underneath the buildings, both for public use, as well as parallel parking. The building on the corner will display in bold letters “Renner” parallel to Renner Boulevard and “87” along 87th Street Parkway.
Councilmember Joe Karlin expressed concerns with accessibility from City Center. Joe Waynick, project manager for Clockwork Architecture + Design, said he intends users to drive to the development to access retail and office spaces.
As such, the development has pedestrian amenity space at the intersection, with an outdoor plaza and seating and a tiered water feature. A dog park, volleyball court, and outdoor pool and kitchen are also in the works for the development. Waynick noted that the firetruck access is “hidden” on the outdoor plaza space so that vehicles won’t block access.
Waynick said 40 to 45 percent of the residential space will have one-bedroom apartments, while the rest will be split between studio and two-bedroom apartments.
Mayor Michael Boehm shared concerns with noise issues from street and highway traffic from Interstate 435, as well as shade space along the plaza and outdoor spaces. Michael McGrew, landscape architect with Landplan Engineering, said the development seeks to address these issues by providing shade and a “loud” water feature to distract from street traffic. The site also has a “notable” grade drop to screen pedestrians from the street.
