A proposal to redevelop the former Incred-A-Bowl bowling alley and entertainment center in southern Overland Park can go ahead, though councilmembers were less than enthused about it.
On Monday, the Overland Park City Council voted 11-0, hesitantly approving the rezoning and a 10-year special use permit with some major caveats for the property at 8500 W. 151st St. in the Trail Winds Shopping Center.
Mayor Curt Skoog and Councilmember Jim Kite were both absent from the meeting. Council President Logan Heley filled in as acting mayor.
The plan is to renovate the former bowling alley structure to house an event space that can fit more than 1,000 people, as well as dining, retail and a gym. Initially, the rezoning and permit were scheduled for the Aug. 5 meeting, but they were delayed.
Councilmembers and, previously, the neighbors voiced concerns about the state the property has sat in for years, and have questioned whether this project will pan out as proposed.
During the meeting on Monday, Kristi Uenishi, a neighbor who lives off of 150th Street, said “I want this building to look better. I really, really do.” But she said she doesn’t trust the property owner to deliver on what’s promised.
Following the Overland Park Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve the project in July, neighbors submitted a protest petition against the Incred-A-Bowl redevelopment plan. However, city staff determined the petition was invalid, but a staff report stopped short of specifying the reason.
Incred-A-Bowl has been closed for years
The property was first zoned for use as a bowling alley in the late 1970s, and eventually Incred-A-Bowl Family Fun Center took over the site in the late 1990s.
After that business closed about 10 years ago, NMS LLC — which is owned by Paramjeet Sabharwal — acquired the building. The next year, the city gave the green light to plans to convert the site into a hospital and medical office building. Those plans never came to fruition.
For the next several years, the building remained vacant — and neighbors and councilmembers alike say continued to decay — until Beastified gym and supplement store moved into part of the 65,000-square-foot building in 2023.
The rezoning moves the property from a county commercial zoning carryover to a comparable city designation.
Councilmembers doubt redevelopment is possible
Given the state of the former Incred-A-Bowl property over the years, some lingering property maintenance issues and other concerns about the property owner, city councilmembers on Monday seemed skeptical that any progress could be made now.
“This council has to have humility, right, and pragmatism about what we do about situations like this, right? You have got to kind of just eat the sandwich, it’s not going to taste good,” Councilmember Jeff Cox said. “But if we just say, ‘No, no, no, no, no,’ this thing sits here like this forever, and that’s worse for the neighbors than hoping that we will get a good surprise once.”
Councilmember Holly Grummert had similar thoughts, though she struck a more optimistic tone.
“We want this cleaned up,” she said. “I am excited about the improvements, and just hopeful that we continue to make progress and don’t fall behind.”
In addition to the skepticism, Councilmember Inas Younis was on the fence at first about the special use permit, worried that there wasn’t enough detailed planning going into the operations of an event center of that size. However, she ultimately supported both the rezoning and the permit.
Looking ahead:
- The developer has one year from today to acquire a building permit; otherwise the city will revoke the special use permit, per the stipulations.
- A certificate of occupancy would also need to be obtained by a certain date.
- Additional site plans for the development may require consideration before the planning commission and city council.
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