In 2024, as the Post expands its coverage to include Olathe, there are a few developments in that city that we’re watching.
From progress in the Kansas Bioscience Park to new developments on Blackbob Road, here are some prominent projects in Olathe that could make progress this year.
Pathway at Heritage Park — 159th & Black Bob
The much-discussed 14-home Habitat for Humanity project near 159th Street and Black Bob Road is starting to pick up some of the funding required to move forward.
The homes planned in the future neighborhood will be offered to eligible applicants at below-market cost, and the land on which the homes will stand are to remain in a trust. As such, the cost of the land will be excluded from the sticker cost of the home.
In the Pathway at Heritage Park neighborhood, homes are expected to be two to five bedrooms.
Those selected to live in the neighborhood will still own their home and have partial equity on the structure. There are also maintenance and investment standards for each homeowner.
Clearing at One28 Phase 2 — 127th & Blackbob
The next phase of the Clearing at One28 is expected to get underway sometime this year.
In all, 84 apartments and 7,000 square feet of commercial space are planned in this mixed-use development near the corner of 127th Street and Blackbob Road. The project will sit in the pocket of land between the existing Clearing at One28 apartments on the site of the former Olathe Public Library Indian Creek branch, a collection of long-standing commercial space and the PineCrest Townhomes.
The developer expects to ask for the city to issue the promised bonds by the end of 2024, according to an incentive application submitted to the city of Olathe and authorized in 2023.
Kansas Bioscience Park — College & Valley
K-State Olathe wants to move some of its animal health and food safety research to a new facility near its campus in the Kansas Bioscience Park near Valley Road and Clay Blair Boulevard.
The bioscience park property was once intended to be a larger K-State Olathe campus with a Kansas Bioscience Authority partnership. Land previously deeded from the city for that purpose was later returned and has been the focus of recruitment efforts aimed toward life science research and development.
In the past two years, there’s been some movement on that effort with KCAS Bioanalytical and Biomarker Services relocating their new headquarters to the park in 2022 and Panasonic moving into the former KBA Venture Accelerator building more recently.
Woodland Forest — K-10 & Woodland
In 2023, Olathe gave the greenlight to a once-fraught multifamily project near Woodland Road and K-10.
This property is the last remaining undeveloped tract in the Woodland Corridor area, which has mostly been defined by single-family residences since the area was annexed into Olathe in the 1990s.
In all, nearly 350 apartment units stretching across eight buildings are planned.
Santa Fe Trail Middle School — Ridgeview & Harold
Work on the replacement Santa Fe Trail Middle School at 1100 N. Ridgeview Road in northern Olathe is expected to continue into 2024, with substantial completion by the spring.
The centerpiece of the nearly $300 million 2022 bond measure, the replacement middle school should welcome students for the 2024-25 school year. It will sit behind the 1968 school building, which will be demolished to make way for new athletic fields.
Walmart Beef Facility — US-169 & 167th
Walmart’s “first owned and operated case-ready beef facility” is expected to open in 2025, according to an announcement from the company in June 2023. As such, construction should ramp up this year.
The new meat-packing facility will sit in southern Olathe, near U.S. Highway 169 and 167th Street. Walmart has also said it plans to hire more than 600 people to staff the facility.
The Olathe facility will package steaks, roasts and other Angus beef products coming from Nebraska-based Sustainable Cuts LLC.
Northwest Olathe Apartments — College & K-7
Olathe approved plans in 2023 for new apartments near the Aldi Distribution Center near College Boulevard and K-7.
Previously, this area was zoned for industrial uses, but the long-range land-use plans for the area call for mixed-use developments. Density from this project will support commercial development down the line, according to city documents.
The current project, which spans 30 acres, will contain 10 apartment buildings totaling more than 550 units ranging from studio size to two-bedroom apartments. There are also plans to have multiple amenities for residents, including walking trails, a dog park and pools.
The exact timeline on this multifamily project is unclear.
Other development stories:
- Overland Park developments north of I-435 we’re watching in 2024
- Overland Park developments south of I-435 we’re watching in 2024
- Shawnee development projects we’re watching in 2024
- Lenexa development projects to watch in 2024
- Leawood development projects we’re watching in 2024
- Northeast JoCo development projects we’re watching in 2024
