Insurance broker Lockton revealed plans for its new 12-story Leawood headquarters this week, to the enthusiastic approval of the Leawood Planning Commission.
On Tuesday night, commissioners unanimously approved the final development plan for the tower, which covers more than 455,000 square feet of finished floor space and a separate retreat center.
They will be the first buildings to go up on the property north of College Boulevard and west of State Line Road, an eye-catching new landmark that will be visible from Interstate 435.
The tower, once built, will be one of the tallest in Leawood, reaching a height of 176 feet, according to the current plan. That’s nearly twice as tall as the 90-foot maximum height of buildings typically allowed under city code. The final development plan approved Tuesday grants a height deviation for the Lockton tower.
The tower anchors the development and will rest atop a six-floor parking garage with 1,368 employee spaces.
The retreat building will be directly north of the tower, with 6,000 square feet of flexible space, conference rooms, an amphitheater and an adjacent plaza and fire pit. The retreat is down a slope from the tower but accessible via a set of stairs.
Developers hope to break ground on the project this summer, with plans to have Lockton move in by 2030.
A nod to the past, developer says
Planners on Tuesday only discussed the first two buildings of the first phase of what is to be a 34-acre mixed-use development that is also eventually set to include a hotel, restaurants and retail shops.
David Rezac of VanTrust Real Estate told commissioners the project is one of the largest build-to-suit office developments in the Midwest in the past five years.
The design makes prominent use of locally sourced limestone and bronze, echoing the colors of the Kansas prairie, Rezac said during a brief presentation. Because of the topography of the location, there will be cascading limestone terraces that create natural outdoor gathering spaces.
“The design is iconic and modern, with clean lines, warm materials and human-scaled spaces, a nod to the era in which Lockton was founded 60 years ago. The result is a headquarters that feels timeless rather than trendy, honoring the firm’s history while supporting its future,” he said.
The location is adjacent to Leawood City Park.
$150M in tax incentives approved
Lockton, which bills itself as the world’s largest privately held insurance brokerage, announced last December that it would move its headquarters, with 1,500 employees, from its longtime home on Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza to the planned Hallbrook North development at College and State Line.
The $765 million project will include a 250,000-square-foot expansion of its headquarters building in its second phase. Plans also include a child care center, retail, restaurants, a hotel and apartments.
After Lockton’s cross-border move was announced in December, the Leawood governing body approved a public tax incentive package valued at more than $150 million for the project, the largest such package in the city’s history.
The incentives include:
- up to $108.7 million in tax increment financing,
- roughly $10 million from a 1.5% Community Improvement District sales tax within the project area
- up to $18.8 million from the special transient guest tax charged for hotel stays
- and a sales tax exemptions of $14.6 million for designated construction equipment and expenses.
“Absolutely gorgeous”
There was little discussion before the planning commission voted on the final development plan on Tuesday.
City Engineer Brian Scoville was asked about the effect on stormwater drainage, a subject of concern that had come up in prior city meetings.
Scoville said that stormwater experts who were consulted advised developers not to use a detention system, allowing runoff to drain faster from the site.
Planning commissioners complimented the project as they prepared to vote for it.
Commissioner Mike Fishman said, “It’s just an absolutely gorgeous development.
Commissioner Steve McGurren said, “The quality, the beauty of it all, the commitment to what was already approved was all impressive.”
See other renderings of the plan:
Thanks for reading! If you value having an independent news outlet keeping tabs on local government, schools and taxes, we're asking you to contribute to our Education Reporting Fund.
