The building that housed the Antioch Library for decades is set to be demolished soon.
The Merriam City Council on Monday unanimously approved a more than $150,000 contract with Merriam-based Denton Excavating to demolish the former Antioch Library building and a nearby maintenance building.
About two months ago, the city of Merriam officially closed on the nearly $4 million purchase of the former library building, the maintenance building and associated properties at the northwest corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road.
Earlier this month, the developer of Merriam Grand Station — the Kmart redevelopment project directly to the south of these properties — submitted a plan for a redevelopment of the former library site, which includes a grocery store and more apartments.
City wants to demo buildings for “better and higher use”
- Denton Excavating plans to demolish the former library building at 8700 Shawnee Mission Parkway, as well as an associated maintenance building at 6235 Slater St.
- Community Development Director Bryan Dyer told the city council on Monday that the city anticipates these properties “to be redeveloped to a better and higher use.”
- Dyer said, in response to a question from Councilmember Chris Evans Hands, that there is no anticipated impact on traffic at the busy intersection due to demolition.
- Additionally, in response to a question from Councilmember Staci Chivetta, Dyer said that asbestos remediation on the buildings may start as early as the third week of April.
A look at “Merriam Grand Marketplace”
- Drake Development, the Overland Park-based developer that created Merriam Grand Station, wants to build a similar project across the street.
- Drake has proposed a project that features a 210-unit apartment complex, a 12,500 square foot grocery store and 4,000 square feet of restaurant space — that is not connected to a drive-thru.
- If this proposed redevelopment project, dubbed “Merriam Grand Marketplace,” comes to fruition as planned, then it will bring the the first grocery store to the city since Hen House closed in 2018.
- This project proposal still needs approvals from the Merriam Planning Commission or the city council before it can move forward.
Next steps:
- The demolition of the former library building is expected to be completed by late June, Dyer told the city council.
- The city council is also hosting a public hearing on June 16 to consider an amendment to an existing redevelopment district to include the entire area proposed for the “Merriam Grand Marketplace” project.
- Additionally, the planning commission is anticipated to see a staff-reviewed version of the redevelopment proposal at its May meeting.
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