Plans to build more than 300 apartments at the ever-evolving redevelopment site of the former Metcalf South shopping center in Overland Park are starting to firm up.
The property in question at 97th Street and Metcalf Avenue is one of the last remaining large swaths left to redevelop at the site. Another, located to the north, closer to 95th Street, has been identified for a mini-golf-centric entertainment concept.
It was previously the site of a Sears department store, which was able to hold on longer than the rest of the shopping district and mall. The store was demolished a few years ago.
On Monday, the Overland Park Planning Commission unanimously approved a final development plan for the apartments planned at this key property on Metcalf.
This step, a typically procedural one, could be the final time the developer, Indiana-based real estate firm Thompson Thrift, presents this project to a public body before it is built, if everything goes according to plan.
300+ apartments planned at 97th and Metcalf
- A total of 303 apartments are proposed at the site, split between two four-story buildings.
- The site plan also calls for a dog park, fire pit, courtyard with outdoor kitchens and a pool.
- The apartment plan takes the place of a previous proposal to build a 90,000-square-foot Life Time Fitness center at the location.
Neighbors have opposed the apartment development
When the project came up for consideration last spring and summer, neighbors came out in force to oppose it. They fret specifically over traffic, a loss of privacy, density and the fit of the plan with the existing character of the area, including single-family home neighborhoods nearby.
Eventually, neighbors submitted a valid protest petition against the apartment plan, which raised the threshold of approval needed from the Overland Park City Council.
Because of that, the city council almost failed to advance it, just narrowly clearing the affirmative vote threshold after delaying it.
At the same time, multiple councilmembers and city officials have identified this as a key part of Overland Park’s long-standing Vision Metcalf plan, which calls for redevelopment in this key corridor that encourages walkability and emphasizes housing.
Metcalf South redevelopment plans have evolved
The mall and the wider retail district, once called Metcalf South, sat near 95th and Metcalf for roughly 50 years before shuttering about a decade ago. The Sears store at 97th Street held on until 2017.
Since then, efforts to redevelop the site have had mixed results, with some iterations panning out slowly or not at all.
Previously, a different developer had proposed apartments for the site of the former Sears store, and another had proposed an office. Eventually, that plan was replaced with a commercial proposal anchored by a large health club in 2022.
In 2023, Texas Roadhouse and QuikTrip both opened new locations on the site, closer to Metcalf. Dutch Bros and Panera have also recently joined the bunch.
Councilmember Jim Kite said last August that he felt this renewed proposal for apartments was likely “the best destiny for this property” that’s faced an evolving redevelopment vision over the years.
Kite added that “I can’t for the life of me” understand why neighbors would prefer the deteriorating remains of a “failed mall” and a bunch of “breaking up asphalt” over apartments.
Looking back: After hitting snag, plan for apartments at 97th and Metcalf in Overland Park wins rezoning
