A previously proposed office space and daycare are out, and a new fitness club is in the revised plan for the former Sears site at 97th Street and Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park.
What’s happening: Klover Architects on Thursday hosted a neighborhood meeting via Zoom to lay its latest iteration of plans for that site, the final vestige of the old Metcalf South Mall.
The big change: The centerpiece of Klover’s new plan is a roughly 110,000-square-foot Life Time athletic club on the east end of the property, where an office complex had previously been proposed — and before that, an apartment building.
- Life Time already operates two fitness clubs in Johnson County, including one in Overland Park on 138th Street.
Other details: Another five buildings for new retail and restaurant spaces, including an unnamed coffee shop, are also set to be built towards the northwest corner and center of the complex.
- An image of a Panera was included in renderings presented at the neighborhood meeting Thursday, but Klover officials never actually named that chain eatery as one of the other tenants.
- Texas Roadhouse has already announced it is working to open a new restaurant on the development at the southeast corner of 97th and Metcalf.
- North of the steakhouse along Metcalf will be 5,000-square-foot QuikTrip gas station and convenience store.
Key quote: “Originally, we were going to use the existing Sears building and turn it into a major office building,” founding principal Henry Klover said Thursday. “The tenant bailed at the absolute last minute, even after we’d started demolition for them, which caused issues with the city. So the building is currently being torn down as we speak.”
Background: The previous redevelopment plan approved last year by the Overland Park City Council called for a 164,000-square-foot office building and 14,000 square-foot daycare center for the site.
- Following Metcalf South’s closure in 2014, developers initially submitted plans to bring a mixed-used development to the area, featuring apartments and a movie theater.
- However, neighbors expressed concerns about the proposed 300-unit apartment complex, and the redevelopment was delayed over the next three years.
What’s next for Overland Park Sears site:
- Klover officials said Thursday they are currently working on an additional parking study requested by the city and are tweaking some site plans.
- The plans for the new development are expected to be presented to the Overland Park Planning Commission on Monday, Oct. 10.
