The Indus Valley mixed-use development featuring a hotel and event space at 179th Street and U.S. Highway 69 in southern Overland Park is on the table this week.
On Monday, the Overland Park City Council will hear the rezoning and indefinite special use permit application at 7:30 p.m.
In addition to the hotel and event space, the development would also include offices as well as commercial and residential elements.
Last month, after previously delaying the application in early 2024 at city staff’s request, the Overland Park Planning Commission voted 8-0 to recommend approving a revised Indus Valley project.
Residents in the nearby unincorporated community of Stilwell have largely opposed the project, worried the Indus Valley plan fails to fit in with the village-like character of their area.
What’s the plan for Indus Valley?
- The Indus Valley plan spans 60 acres along 179th Street between 69 Highway and Metcalf Avenue in southern Overland Park.
- It proposes 24 single-family homes and 52 two-family units.
- Plus, 21,500 square feet of office and 23,500 square feet of commercial space, as well as a 54,000 square-foot event center are proposed as well.
- And for the centerpiece of the Indus Valley development, a nearly 76,000 square-foot hotel is proposed.
Stilwell is a ‘village,’ and Indus Valley doesn’t fit, neighbors say
Neighbors who live in Stilwell flocked to the March planning commission meeting to voice their opposition to the Indus Valley project.
Kelley Rast, a Stilwell resident and member of a county zoning board, said her community in the rural area of Johnson County is “a village.” She also said she doesn’t believe the Indus Valley mixed-use plan fits in with that character.
People did submit a protest petition against the rezoning application, but city staff reported the petition was invalid, according to city documents.
Some planning commissioners pushed back against Stilwell residents during the March meeting, saying they see this site in particular as precedent-setting for the rest of the area.
“I think the proposed development is a good one,” said Commissioner Thomas Robinett. “It is not practical, not reasonable to assume there’s not going to be any further development south.”
But still, as suburban-style development has pushed further south and backed up into more rural incorporated communities, tensions have burned hot.
“I think anytime you have development in areas that have previously been undeveloped, you’re going to have growing pains, you’re going to have trepidation about what’s to come and how it may affect the quality of life,” County Chair Mike Kelly said in 2023 during discussions about another contentious development plan near 207th Street and Metcalf.
Next steps:
- The city council will vote on whether to approve the Indus Valley project on Monday.
- If approved, the developer will need to submit site plans to Overland Park for further consideration.
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