An old funeral home and a single-family home on Metcalf Avenue in downtown Overland Park could be replaced by a mixed-use building with apartments and ground-level retail.
It’s the latest change proposed for one of Overland Park’s busiest corridors, where several multi-story buildings with apartments and shops have gone up in recent years, with more being planned.
The newest proposal, from Chicago-based 29th Street Capital, would bring nearly 200 apartment units and retail space in a five-story building with underground parking to the southeast corner of 82nd Street and Metcalf.
To make way for the project, the developer wants to demolish a 52,000-square-foot building that previously served as home to Johnson County Funeral Chapel (and before that, Overland Park Funeral Chapel), as well as the single-family home at 8200 Travis St.
On Monday, the Overland Park Planning Commission voted 8-0 to approve a certificate of conformity for the mixed-use development, finding that the plans for the apartment and retail building comply with the special zoning overlay in the downtown area (called the Downtown Form District).
“This is a very nice addition to downtown Overland Park,” said Commissioner Holly Streeter Schaefer, noting that, on a recent drive by the site, her husband agreed such redevelopment would be a good fit for the area. “You have some support, I think, from the community as well in regard to this.”
82nd and Metcalf will have multifamily, retail
The proposed new building will include 198 multifamily units of varying layouts, including apartments with internal hallway access and attached townhomes facing Travis Street.
The townhome part of the building will rise to four stories, while the rest of the building will be five stories.
There will also be a clubhouse for residents, a pool and an outdoor dog park.
Additionally, on the ground level, the developer is proposing having retail, including restaurants, shops and cafes, facing Metcalf and spanning 7,300 square feet.
Below the building, there will be a two-level parking structure with 265 spots for both residents and retail shoppers, with access from 82nd Street. There will also be some street parking on 82nd Street and on Travis, bike parking and new sidewalks.
Downtown Overland Park has been redeveloping
In the past several years, several redevelopment and infill-type development projects — reuse of vacant properties surrounded by completed developments or on a plat that is underutilized — have gone up in downtown Overland Park, particularly along Metcalf.
A lot of that activity has occurred under a special downtown zoning overlay, called the Downtown Form District, which prioritizes denser development that is built closer to the street along Metcalf and pedestrian access. The city adopted that plan in 2010.
At times, neighbors have pushed back on redevelopment efforts that have significantly altered the character of the area, especially in areas that directly neighbor residential areas. (Still, no community members spoke against the project at 82nd and Metcalf during a public hearing on Monday.)
Several vertical mixed-use buildings have popped up — typically multistory buildings with a mix of uses in one structure, like retail with upper-level apartments or office space. Such projects include Avenue 80, the Edison District and The Vue.
More similar developments are on the way as well.
Last year, Overland Park gave the green light to a project practically across the street from the proposed redevelopment at 82nd and Metcalf at the site of a former Winstead’s hamburger joint.
The project from Hunt Midwest, which is expected to begin after the World Cup this summer, will feature approximately 225 apartments and 5,000 square feet of ground-level retail space.
Next steps:
- The Certificate of Conformity with the downtown form-based code approved this week by the planning commission now goes to the Overland Park City Council for consideration.
- It is tentatively scheduled to be taken up during the council’s April 6 meeting.
Keep reading: Overland Park clears plan for apartments on Metcalf site where Winstead’s once stood
