The old Kmart along Shawnee Mission Parkway in Merriam, which has stood empty for nearly a decade, will finally be torn down in the coming weeks, paving the way for a new $130 million mixed-use development on the site at Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road.
Driving the news: Matt Pennington, president of Drake Development, told the Post via email that asbestos remediation will begin at the site later this month.
- Demolition of the former Kmart building is expected to begin in early October, Pennington said.
- This aligns with the timeline developers already laid out in city documents stating demolition and sitework will begin on or before Dec. 31, 2022.
Why it matters: This is the first time in almost a decade that there will be work at the old Kmart, which closed in January 2013.
Background: After working with developers for more than a year on a potential project, Merriam City Council approved a $130 million redevelopment of the former Kmart site in July dubbed Merriam Grand Station.
- The city approved the issuance of industrial revenue bonds in an amount not to exceed $102 million in August.
- Read the Post’s full timeline on the history of the Kmart site here.
Zooming out: The Merriam Grand Station plan promises to remake the prominent 12-acre tract that sits just off Interstate 35.
- The plan includes building three restaurants, a large public plaza, a parking structure and two apartment buildings totaling at least 350 total units.
- Two restaurants nearby, a Freddy’s and Krispy Kreme, will remain after the new development.
- The future of a third restaurant, a Pegah’s Family Restaurant on the northeast corner of the property, is less clear.
- The restaurant announced a temporary closure to begin on Oct. 2 and said they would be back next year with a “brand new building” but Pennington says the Pegah’s is not part of the new Merriam Grand Station redevelopment.
What’s next for Merriam Kmart site:
Commercial and residential portions of the project are expected to be “pad ready” on or before Dec. 31, 2023.
- According to the agreement with the city, the infrastructure needs to be finished by 2024, with the three restaurants outlined in the project completed and operational by June 30, 2025.
- In its entirety, Merriam Grand Station needs to be completed by Dec. 31, 2026, according to the development agreement.
