Developers have officially kicked off work on the Macy’s redevelopment in Prairie Village.
First Washington Realty, the Maryland-based landlord of the Shops of Prairie Village, hosted a “wall breaking” ceremony inside the 75-year-old Macy’s building at 7070 Mission Rd. on Monday afternoon, signaling the long-anticipated start of construction for a redevelopment project of the site that includes a new Hen House grocery store.
Mayor Eric Mikkelson on Monday told the dozens of people in the crowd that the redevelopment at the Shops and Macy’s in particular is going to positively impact the community — which has fond memories of the building itself.
“It’s an iconic location, part of the fabric of our community,” Mikkelson said. “The opportunity to beautify and modernize it in a way that preserves what we love about Prairie Village is welcome, and we thank First Washington for that.”
A look at the redevelopment project
- The site plan that the planning commission approved in October calls for a two-story building.
- The project will be anchored by a Hen House grocery store on the first floor, leaving the current Hen House space vacant at the Shops of Prairie Village.
- There are also four retail spaces planned for the second floor, though no tenants have been named yet.
- Developers are also expected to request public financing incentives to complete the project due to expensive grading issues on the site.
‘This is going to be the best store’
- Mike Beal, the chief financial officer of Balls Food Stores, said the current Hen House space at the Shops is “very, very inefficient in the grocery business” at only 16,000 square feet.
- The new Hen House will feature a host of new offerings, including a cheese island and a market grille, Beal said.
- Beal said Balls Foods has “always wanted to have a better store for our community here.”
- “We want to be the anchor for this community center right here,” Beal said. “We plan to draw customers from across the state line, which isn’t that far away, because this is going to be the best grocery store anywhere close to this in Kansas City.”
Construction expected to be completed in 2026
- Gregg Zike, senior vice president of First Washington, told the crowd on Monday that the construction of the site is happening in 2025.
- The first round of retail openings is projected for mid-2026, he said.
- Zike told the Post after the event that no tenants are ready to be announced at this time.
- He also said First Washington is working on finding a replacement tenant for what will be the vacant Hen House space.
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