A proposal for a five-story hospital and three-story medical office building at Lenexa’s City Center – in the works since 2008 – crossed a major milestone Tuesday night with the city council’s approval of a final plan.
Next steps: Site work is already in progress on the AdventHealth Life Campus at 86th Street and Renner Boulevard.
- Once the rocks are cleared and utility work is done, perhaps as early as late fall, footings can be poured for what will be the first phase of the 11-building campus.
When will the project be complete? The 230,000-square-foot hospital and companion medical office building, which will be 55,500 square feet, are the first key parts of a project expected to take 20 years to complete, councilmembers said.
- The area was originally permitted for a hospital in 2008, but underwent changes and a more recent delay due to the pandemic.
- The 25-acre campus will occupy a corner near Interstate 435 and just northeast of the Lenexa Rec Center and Public Market.
Concerns from neighboring residents: As it went through the planning process, the project got some pushback from neighbors to the north.
- They were concerned about the height of the originally planned eight-story hospital that would be accentuated by its position atop a hill.
- They also worried about noise from a heliport.
Council discussion: Councilmember Melanie Arroyo, who was elected in 2021, asked about those issues as well.
- Other councilmembers said they believed Advent officials have done a good job of addressing those concerns. Advent agreed to reduce the hospital’s height to five stories.
- Councilmember Joe Karlin, who lives in the neighborhood near the hospital, said opposition has died down and the developer has done a good job of working with the neighborhood.
- Councilmember Julie Sayers noted that she lives under the flight path of helicopters going to Overland Park Regional Medical Center: “It’s just something you get used to. The dogs freak out sometimes, but it’s not a big deal.”
- Arroyo and Sayer also encouraged the developer to include green space and trees to protect people from the heat. Both added they support the project.
The council generally lauded the development. Councilmember Tom Nolte said it is likely to be the largest project in Lenexa’s history.
Key quote: “This is definitely an iconic structure,” that Lenexa will be fortunate to have, Nolte said. “I know how many times we have lamented the Lowes and the Home Depots have skipped over us and we didn’t get the big boxes,” he said. “I’m certainly thrilled that this hospital group, which had many options, has decided to place their facility here. It speaks so much of their trust in our community.”
