The Lenexa Planning Commission has approved plans for a building that, if given the final OK, will be the tallest development by far at Lenexa City Center.
On Oct. 6, the city’s planning commission unanimously recommended approval of preliminary plans for The Rise, located at the southeast corner of 87th Street Parkway and Renner Boulevard.
The development is proposed to be an active adult community, with residents required to be 55 or older, according to its developer, REAL Property Group.
It will include apartments, office and restaurant space, a parking structure, as well as amenities like an outdoor pool and a rooftop restaurant and bar.
Lenexa-based Finkle + Williams Architecture is the applicant and architect for the project, and Renaissance Infrastructure Consulting is the civil engineer.
The building will have 132 apartment spaces
Plans for the building include 5,278 square feet of office space, a 2,225-square-foot restaurant and bar and 132 apartments.
Of the proposed apartments, 56 are one bedroom and 76 are two-bedroom units.
The Rise’s height — roughly 145 feet tall — would dwarf other buildings in the area. Other buildings nearby range from 1.5 to 7 stories, according to city records.
The building would be constructed on an about 1.5-acre parcel of undeveloped land, right off of Interstate 435 and near the east entrance to Lenexa City Center.
The total parking for the building is 197 spots, including a ground-level lot with 116 parking spaces, as well as 24 additional spots constructed on the east side of the building’s second floor.
There will also be a surface lot added south of the building, and angled and parallel on-street parking available along Renner, 87th Terrace and Ryckert Street.
Project “fills [a] gap” for older adult living, developer says
In his presentation to the planning commission, Hal Shapiro, REAL Property Group founder, said the goal of the high rise is to target an emerging market in Johnson County.
“Active adult is a fairly recent emerging product type. It’s not multi-family, and it is not independent or assisted living. It is not considered senior housing and it’s not considered multi-family. It fills the gap between the two,” he said. “The age restriction of 55 years old is a minimum, but we find that, in these projects, the applicants are normally closer to 70.”
The goal of restricting the age to 55 is to give older adults a sense of community with programming and amenities that fits their needs.
“It is heavily programmed, heavily amenitized, and the most important amenity that we’re going to promote is community,” he said. “The building is designed to have community spaces that are designed to bring people together and to know each other and to cultivate relationships.”
Commenters see problems with parking
In the city’s presentation, City Planner Dave Dalecky noted that because of the way Lenexa City Center is designed, The Rise would share parking with other developments in the area.
“The developments in City Center are generally compact and generally take advantage of shared parking/complimentary uses,” he said.
In addition to the parking planned at The Rise, there is already a public parking garage to the south of the proposed development site, as well as parking at the Hyatt Convention Center.
But the proposed building and the traffic it could potentially bring might complicate already existing parking problems at Lenexa City Center, two residents said during the meeting.
“It’s almost impossible to find a parking space over at the Rec Center when there’s classes being offered, because millions of people are trying to get in there. Last time I parked, I was on the top (floor) and that’s at like, 10 o’clock in the morning. That’s ridiculous,” Rebecca Ward, a long-time Lenexa resident, said.
Another resident, Susan McCurdy, also voiced complaints with congestion at City Center.
“I do feel like parking is a very big issue in this City Center area, to the point that when I first moved here seven years ago, I used to come down for lots of things on Friday night, (and) other activities that they had. And now, I just don’t even come because it’s a parking issue,” she said.
Shapiro with REAL Property Group defended the design, saying they studied City Center, what would be needed for The Rise and believed the parking they have planned will meet the area’s needs.
“We think we’re adequately parked. Would we like to have 300 spaces? Yeah, we’d like to have 300 spaces. We don’t think it’s necessary. We’re comfortable that we have enough,” he said.
Planning Commission supports development
Commissioner Ben Harber, who is also a member of the Johnson County Commission on Aging, said a development like The Rise is needed because older adults are moving into Johnson County at increasing rates.
“Sixty-five and older is our largest growing cohort in Johnson County, and over the next 10 years, the growth would be called explosive. There will be more people over 65 … than 21 and under,” he said. “So I think there’s a need for this, and I think that it’s good that Lenexa has an option for it, and I think it’s a well-constructed plan.”
Commissioner Sunny Dharod agreed with Harber.
“‘I think it’s a great use for this part of the city. It’s in line with the Comprehensive Plan and the future land use map, and this is what we’ve envisioned for this area, mixed-use development, higher-density areas,” he said.
What’s next
Lenexa City Council will consider preliminary plans for The Rise at its meeting on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m.
Other Lenexa development news: Lenexa commission advances mixed-residential project near K-7 Highway
