Overland Park approves two massive projects with apartments, retail, restaurants

The Overland Park City Council on Monday approved rezoning for two massive developments transforming vacant land in the southern part of the city with hundreds of apartments, retail, restaurants and more.

Despite city staff voicing concerns over housing density, the council voted 7-3 just before 11 p.m. to rezone 74 acres at the southeast corner of 175th Street and Pflumm Road for the Schlagel Farms project. It will include 300 apartments, 150 townhomes, retail, restaurants and an unspecified event center.

“I am sympathetic about the concerns about the density, but some of the aspects I really like about this development is that it brings down into that area some additional types of housing,” said Councilman Paul Lyons, who voted in favor. “I think it’s important to have a good mix of different types of housing all around our city. And this introduces some new types of housing stock in that area.”

But Councilman Jeff Cox disagreed, arguing that large apartment buildings simply don’t fit in with the more rural landscape there.

“There’s 150 issues here, traffic, mixed use, large use, so much per unit. But it all comes down to just one thing at the end of the day. The residents I represent in Ward 6 don’t want apartment complexes,” Cox said. “They don’t want high density, not now, not ever. … We moved out there for a reason. We want it to stay different, stay unique, stay beautiful.”

For a less contentious project, the council during its Monday meeting also voted unanimously to rezone 40 acres on the southeast corner of 159th Street and Metcalf Avenue, for the Metcalf Village development, which includes 900 residential units, retail, parks and pickleball courts.

Schlagel Farms

Members of the Schlagel family, who said they have owned the farmland west of U.S. 69 Highway for more than five decades, urged the council at its Monday meeting that the project was the right fit for their property and a sign of progress in south Overland Park.

The rezoning request for the project was put off in May after planning commissioners voiced concerns about density and design. But after the developer made adjustments, planning commissioners voted 7-2 in favor, sending the project to the council. But city staff maintained concerns about the housing density, as well as the plan for retail.

The developer plans to build 300 market-rate apartments, more than 150 townhomes and 128,000 square feet of commercial space. The commercial area, near 175th and Pflumm, would have 19 buildings with plans for drive-thrus and other restaurants, a gas station, retail and an event center.

Developers said they hope to attract a variety of other tenants, such as medical offices, insurance agents or an early childhood center.

The 150 townhomes — down from more than 170 previously proposed — would sit in buildings of three, five or six units, with garages in each one, as well as a clubhouse and pool. The buildings would have a private drive, connected to Noland Street and southwest into the Wolf Run subdivision.

A walking trail cutting through the development would be available for the public.

Aaron Mesmer, of Block Real Estate Services, said the development team addressed concerns by shifting the apartment buildings away from 175th Street and nearby single-family homes, as well as reducing the height of apartment buildings along 175th from four stories to three.

City staff also said they were concerned that the retail layout was not integrated enough into the project and did not include a gathering space. Councilman Scott Mosher said he was worried that such a project couldn’t draw enough customers from the area.

“You’re out in the middle of what I would consider nowhere. And you’re in a residential type of neighborhood, country. You’re building one small dense area and you think you’re going to fund your retail. I don’t know that’s going to happen,” Mosher said.

But developers said they’ve already received letters of interest from national and local companies looking at the site, which they said shows the market is there. And Mesmer said with the number of projects and permits being approved in southern Overland Park, it’s now time to prepare for greater development there in the coming years.

The team said construction would likely start on the apartments and townhomes, with units available within the next few years. The commercial space would be built in phases over the next five or six years.

Metcalf Village

The Metcalf Village project was less controversial, with city staff and officials all in favor of it. The council unanimously approved rezoning for the 40-acre site on Monday with little discussion.

The city annexed the Metcalf property in 2007, and over the years, plans for shopping and housing on the site fell through. The city owned less than an acre of the land, which housed a fire station, but sold it to the developer in June.

The developer, Lux Living, is proposing a mix of residential, commercial and park space. Plans include 11 buildings, with more than 900 residential units and four parks.

One four-story apartment building would have 274 units, a 200-space parking garage, and several amenities, including a cafe, clubhouse with a gym, theater, bowling and a We Work co-working space for residents. Another four-story, 200-unit apartment building would have a large interior courtyard and a basketball gym.

One three-story, mixed-use building at the northern edge of the project would have 40 apartments and 20,000 square feet of retail space. Plans also include two, three-story townhome buildings and parks with walking trails, including one with pickleball courts.

Kevin Berman, with the architecture and design firm Hoefer Welker, previously said input from neighbors and city staff helped shape the project’s design. He added in an email that “the multiple acres of parks and public amenities has created both screening and buffering for the adjacent neighbors, as well as enhanced amenities for the public at large.”

Developers said they met with nearby homeowners over the past several months, addressing concerns over stormwater issues, traffic, landscaping and density.

While Cox disapproved of the apartments being proposed for Schlagel Farms, he supported the Metcalf Village project, saying it fits into the surrounding area, which includes big-box retailers and other apartment buildings.