As we start 2022, the Post is taking an overview of some of the major development projects on our radar in Johnson County.
In case you missed it, check out some of the major developments already underway in Overland Park that expect to see more movement this year.
But for this piece, let’s focus on some projects in northeast Johnson County, including at some prominent sites in Fairway, Merriam, Mission, Prairie Village and Roeland Park.
Prairie Village Shops and Meadowbrook Shopping Center
Two prominent Prairie Village shopping centers are anticipating big changes in 2022.
The former Macy’s at the Shops of Prairie Village is expected to undergo a major renovation within the first two quarters of 2022, landlord First Washington Realty says.
A mixed-use development featuring a grocery store, fitness center and office space will replace the decades-old department store structure.
Additionally, the US Bank at the Shops across from Hen House is changing.
It will become a multi-tenant building featuring a restaurant, medical office and a smaller bank branch. Construction is already underway on that site.
Further south, the Meadowbrook Shopping Center off 95th Street and Nall Avenue is getting a facelift.
Facade changes and a new daycare center are part of the redevelopment plan approved by the planning commission this year.
Mission Gateway
The mixed-use redevelopment agreement — which included $200 million in tax incentives — for the southwest corner of Johnson Drive and Roe Avenue, also known as Mission Gateway, expired on Dec. 31 since developers did not complete the promised project.
That agreement, approved in 2017, included a hotel, apartment complex and office space all centered around the site’s anchor, an entertainment center.
Construction began in earnest at the site of the former Mission Mall in 2019 but screeched to a halt in March 2020 due to COVID-19 shutdowns, and work never resumed.
The New York-based developer says he will be back before the city of Mission to work through a new development agreement in 2022.
The incomplete building and parking garage structures already on site are going to be used in the new agreement, developers said.
Mission Bowl
Just down the street from Mission Gateway is a project with a clearer, more definitive timeline.
A new apartment complex is on its way to the former Mission Bowl site at 5399 Martway Street. Mission City Council approved the plan in December 2020, almost six years after a fire destroyed the beloved bowling alley.
After some delays, crews demolished the vacant building — which sat untouched on the site for six years — this past November.
Sunflower Development Group, the developer building the 161-unit apartment complex, is working toward a November 2023 deadline.
The developers committed to reserving 20% of units for low-income tenants and aiming for LEED Silver certification within two years of completion.
Merriam’s I-35 TIF District (including former Kmart)
Changes are headed to the Shawnee Mission Parkway corridor in Merriam, which is part of the city’s Interstate 35 Redevelopment District.
First, developers want to turn the old Taco Bell at 8800 Shawnee Mission Parkway into a Chipotle. Although no plans have been approved for this project, the planning commission is expected to vote on a site plan associated with the project this month.
This year, Merriam City Council amended the I-35 Redevelopment District to include the Kmart site and create a specific language for a new project at the Taco Bell site.
Meanwhile, across the street at the long vacant Kmart site, developers are planning a mixed-use redevelopment and could submit a more definitive plan by the end of this month.
One hiccup: there are $130,000 in back taxes owed to the city on the Kmart site, potentially complicating movement on both projects, which are managed by Kansas City-based Block and Co.
Apartment developments in Fairway and Roeland Park
Smaller northeast Johnson County cities are making development moves, too.
First, The Rocks site in Roeland Park could become a 222-unit apartment complex. Sunflower Development Group, the same group behind the Mission Bowl project, proposed the plan to the city council earlier this month, and says they want to reserve 20% of the units for low-income tenants.
The city council could more forward with a land sale agreement at The Rocks as soon as this week.
Down the street in Fairway, the former Stroud’s is being remodeled into a 6,500 square foot multi-tenant retail building with a Starbucks anchor. Developers demolished the old fried chicken restaurant in March.
Developers also want to redevelop the site immediately next to the old restaurant, the Fairway Corporate Center.
The city of Fairway recently created a tax increment financing district for the Shawnee Mission Parkway site, where developers want to build an “active adult” apartment complex.
