It’s a new year, and the Post is eyeing movement on several developments in northeastern Johnson County.
From long-awaited redevelopments at restaurant spaces and new grocery stores to mixed-use projects and housing, here’s a look at the developments the Post is keeping an eye on in 2026.
A redeveloped restaurant at the old Houlihan’s in Fairway
For seven years, the old Houlihan’s at the Fairway Shops has sat vacant following the beloved restaurant’s parent company going bankrupt in 2019.
In late 2025, the Fairway City Council cleared the way for local restaurateur Whitney VinZant to remake that space into a new restaurant called American Fire.
The project is receiving public incentives, a community improvement district that places an additional 2% sales tax on all purchases made at the restaurant.
This year, construction on the new restaurant is expected to begin by Feb. 1 and wrap up in early August, according to the development agreement between the city and VinZant.
The return of a grocery store to Merriam
After close to a decade without one, the city of Merriam is getting a grocery store.
As part of the Merriam Grand Marketplace, the redevelopment of the former Antioch Library and a nearby gas station, Trader Joe’s is headed to Merriam off Antioch Road and Shawnee Mission Parkway.
A new restaurant and an apartment complex are also part of the Marketplace redevelopment, which intends to complement the Merriam Grand Station project directly across the street (the redevelopment of the old Kmart).
Construction on the Trader Joe’s is well underway, and developers previously said it could open as early as the end of 2026.
Several multifamily housing projects in Mission
Numerous multifamily housing projects are already making headway in the city of Mission. The Post is keeping an eye on the following projects:
- Mission Flats — A 77-unit apartment complex off 58th Street and Nall Avenue. This project is currently leasing, according to signs on the front of the building.
- Mission Vale — A two-story, 19-unit townhome project at 58th Terrace and Nall Avenue, which is already leasing units. A phase two for this project, featuring a nine-unit townhome project, is currently in the works.
- Mission Beverly — A 262-unit, two-building apartment complex near Powell Community Center that plans to include a retail component. Demolition of some of the old structures on the project site is complete.
- Foxridge Apartments — A 307-unit apartment complex by the Block Real Estate Company replacing the former JC Penney Call Center off Foxridge Drive and Metcalf Avenue. The demolition of the former call center is complete.
- The Encore — A 180-unit apartment complex — to complement The Lanes at Mission Bowl, created by the same developer — planned to replace the old Wendy’s off Martway Street and Roeland Drive. The Mission City Council on Jan. 21 approved a preliminary development plan for this project.
A redevelopment at the long-vacant Wild Oats
For nearly 20 years, the former Wild Oats grocery store in Mission has sat vacant.
In 2025, local developer Dan Carr of Kansas City, Missouri-based U.S. Federal Properties Co. laid out plans to refurbish the Wild Oats building at 5101 Johnson Drive to bring at least one new retail tenant to that space.
The Mission City Council approved a public incentives package for the project in 2025, with a specific plan contemplating a brew-pub tenant for the space.
The unnamed brew-pub that the developer hoped to lease the space opted against this particular location, but city officials said the public incentives package requires a regional brew-pub to lease a majority of the redevelopment for at least five years.
The future of a Mission Hills church
In 2025, the city of Mission Hills closed on a $3.2 million church property sale at 6400 State Line Road.
While the congregation is still in the space for the next year, the city of Mission Hills is currently studying the site and the possible future uses for the space.
Public input sessions and feedback are expected to be a large part of the process of figuring out the future of 6400 State Line Road, city officials previously told the Post.
A new life for the former Macy’s in Prairie Village
In 2025, the city of Prairie Village saw major movement on the former Macy’s space at 7070 Mission Road in the Shops of Prairie Village.
This year, the first tenants are expected to open in the $26 million redevelopment, which features five total retail tenants.
The anchor for the redevelopment is Hen House, a current Shops tenant, that will relocate to the bottom floor of the redevelopment.
Big Grove Brewery, an Iowa-based brewery and restaurant, plans to open in one of the other four retail spaces, too.
Big Grove has signaled interest in opening by the time the World Cup kicks off this year.
The Rocks redevelopment in Roeland Park
After years of sitting untouched, The Rocks property in Roeland Park off of 48th Street and Roe Parkway is finally undergoing site work.
Affectionately named after the rock pillars that stood tall on the site for decades, The Rocks is a $75 million redevelopment that will bring 287 apartments and a sit-down restaurant to the site.
Demolition of the rock pillars began in 2025, and the project itself is expected to wrap up in 2028.
A luxury housing project in Westwood
This time two years ago, the former Westwood View Elementary property was on track to become a new city park.
That plan required the city of Westwood to sell Joe D. Dennis Park, immediately adjacent to the old school property, to Karbank Real Estate Company.
Karbank planned to turn the sites of Joe D. Dennis Park and the old Westwood Christian Church (now demolished) into an office-retail development, giving the former school property to the city for it to build a new, larger park.
But resident pushback against selling Joe D. Dennis Park landed the city in lawsuits and ultimately led to a public vote on whether Westwood should sell it. Voters rejected the sale of the park in April 2025, killing the entire Karbank plan and the new park.
Following the rejected park sale, the Westwood City Council turned its attention to the old school site and put out a call to developers to partner with on the future of the school property.
The city ultimately selected Kansas City-based developer Hunt Midwest, which is proposing a luxury housing development on the site of the former elementary school.
This project leaves the park and church properties at 5000 and 5050 Rainbow Boulevard, respectively, untouched, with no current plans on the table to repurpose them.
As always… Mission Gateway
Finally, the Post is (still) keeping an eye on Mission Gateway.
The former Mission Mall site off Roe Avenue and Johnson Drive is riddled with two decades of false starts, including the 2023-approved plan for a $286 million redevelopment anchored by a Cinergy entertainment center.
Shortly thereafter, Metropolitan Commercial Bank sued Aryeh Realty for a $24 million repayment on a $26 million loan — the kickstart to an ongoing foreclosure effort.
Last month, a Johnson County District Court judge gave the New York bank the green light to start selling the 17-acre property.
