An Overland Park developer is taking over a mixed residential and commercial development long planned near 159th Street and Mission Road in southern Overland Park, albeit with about 100 fewer units than originally proposed.
Arise Homes, which has completed projects throughout Johnson County, is proposing approximately 215 multifamily units. However, a 2007 plan called for nearly 330 multifamily units.
On Monday, the Overland Park Planning Commission voted 9-0 to recommend approval of a revised preliminary development plan for the project at the southwest corner of 159th and Mission.
“I’m glad to see something actually finally starting to happen here,” said Commissioner Matt Masilionis.
Brian Hamm, Arise Homes’ land development manager, said the site has some factors — like the nearby Blue River — that made it difficult to fully develop.
“We felt like we found a pathway forward for a piece of land that’s been sitting for quite some time,” he said. “As we all know, housing is a high priority right now.”
Commissioners Rob Krewson and Ned Reitzes were absent from the meeting.
Mission 159 will have fewer units than originally proposed
A plan that the city signed off on in 2007 proposed a total of 328 multifamily units accompanied by nearly 50,000 square feet of retail space. Under that proposal from Mission 159 LLC, 48 units received final site plan approval, and 15 were eventually built.
Now, Arise Homes wants to build 216 multifamily units, with a mix of duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes and fiveplexes for rent. Some single-family homes are included in the plan as well.
The reduction in the number of units stems from the city’s decision to purchase the southern half of the property after the original site plan was approved, potentially for a future park or open space. That left less space for residential development.
Arise Homes’ plan also shows some changes to the layout of the commercial components, though the square footage will remain the same.
Alongside the residential development, Arise Homes intends to build picnic areas, a pedestrian trail and a pickleball court. They are also expected to build new internal public streets that will be dedicated to the city.
Nearby, Overland Park and Leawood are on track to improve Mission Road between Bell Drive and 159th Street in the next few years, which would include widening it and upgrading it. The developer is not responsible for contributing funds to that project, but they may be required to contribute to future improvements focused on street crossings.
Next steps:
- The application for the Mission 159 project goes to the Overland Park City Council for consideration next, likely during its Aug. 4 meeting.
- After that, city staff said some details — like design, stormwater, landscaping, lighting, site amenities, etc. — will need to be settled at the time of final development plan approval.
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