Details for a planned $320 million “ultra-accessible” sports and entertainment district in Olathe backed by state STAR bonds have started coming together.
Though specific tenants for some of the project’s pad sites and planned retail areas remain uncertain, the district will be anchored by a multisport complex and an amusement park fully accessible to children with disabilities, as well as other entertainment options and additional features.
On Tuesday, the Olathe City Council unanimously approved a zoning amendment and a preliminary site development plan that paves the way for the first part of the development within the boundaries of a special incentive district at 119th Street and Renner Boulevard.
“So much opportunity there,” said Councilmember Robyn Essex. “I’m so excited to see what it’s going to turn out to be.”
However, the discussion came with some tension as city councilmembers and developers went back and forth about whether a gas station and convenience store would be an appropriate fit in a district such as this, which the developer has requested as an option.
Olathe Gateway to feature amusement park, sports arena
- The project falls within the city’s existing planned zoning district called the Olathe Gateway at 119th and Renner, designed to serve as a front door of sorts to the city and set the tone for visitors.
- The centerpieces of the project are an 11-acre sports-themed amusement park with accommodations for children with disabilities, as well as a 5,500-seat sports arena with an emphasis on hockey and youth athletics.
- A 160-room hotel and 10 commercial pad sites for future retail and dining options are planned, as well.
- Additionally, park space and centrally-located gathering areas are included, alongside a space set aside for an unspecified additional entertainment use.
- Find more information about the incentives the development has requested here.
Debate over gas station, convenience store
Loretto Companies, owned by Lamar Hunt Jr., son of the Kansas City Chiefs’ founding owner, is the entity behind the project.
On Tuesday, Loretto’s vice president James Arkell, along with Justin Duff, vice president of development for Van Trust Real Estate, both said the inclusion of a gas station and convenience store in their plans is uncertain, they’d like to have the option.
Previously, both the Olathe Planning Commission and Olathe planning staff had recommended approval of the zoning amendment without allowing for a gas station and convenience store.
Some councilmembers, including LeEtta Felter, said they felt a gas station and convenience store would be necessary amenities, especially when factoring in the amount of out-of-town visitors that are expected to come to the site.
But other councilmembers worried that the potential proximity to other similar offerings in the area could threaten established businesses.
There was also some concern about whether the use would be a good fit for the tone of the wider district. Throughout the discussion Tuesday, there was debate about where the gas station and convenience store should go, to keep them from being a focal point.
At one point, Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Marge Vogt asked Arkell if he thought that the gas station and convenience store’s inclusion was “a linchpin for the success of this project.”
Arkell said he didn’t see it as a “linchpin,” but he called it “a pretty big bolt.”
“We need to go with what the market thinks is best,” he added.
He also said that “the more restrictions put on the site by people that don’t have a financial interest specifically into that, and the more that it prohibits us from going out and finding the very highest and best use for those pad sites” makes the project riskier.
“I hope you can look past a half-inch on a screen to the 64 acres that we’re about to invest 300 million of our dollars into to create something spectacular in your city,” Arkell said, referencing the small footprint a gas station and convenience store might have in a wider project.
Later, Councilmember Dean Vakas pushed back a little, saying Olathe “is a stakeholder in this,” noting the significant amount of incentives state and local governments have offered.
“It is an investment for us, which none of us profit from personally, but it does relate to the continued success of Olathe, and we all want that,” Vakas said.
Ultimately, the city council did give the allowance, stipulating that just one gas station and convenience store would be allowed in the planned district and requiring that a separate preliminary site development plan be submitted for it, as well.
Family ties inspired the STAR bond project in Olathe
Throughout the process, Arkell has underscored how the project is designed for families like his in mind. In particular, he’s talked about his son Michael, who was born with a rare genetic condition that requires him to use a wheelchair and a feeding tube.
Over the years, it’s been hard to find things for the whole family to do, Arkell said. That is until they visited a fully-accessible amusement park in Texas called Morgan’s Wonderland a few years ago.
Now, with the blessing of that park’s founder, Loretto and its partners are looking to expand on such a vision in Olathe.
The Olathe park will nod to Michael, with plans to name it Michael’s Wonder World.
And, with his three older children in mind, Arkell also wants to open the sports complex surrounded by amenities and other activities for families traveling for youth athletics or visiting the amusement park.
“I’m essentially selfishly wanting to build this for my family,” he said Tuesday at the city council meeting. “It will be the only place like it on earth.”
Arkell runs Loretto with his father-in-law, Lamar Hunt Jr.
More on the Olathe STAR bond project: Olathe clears way for Hunt family-backed entertainment complex
