Plans to turn Kenneth Smith property into 92-home neighborhood advance in Shawnee

A renowned golf property in Johnson County could be redeveloped as an upscale residential subdivision over the next few years, after the Shawnee City Council unanimously approved a rezoning Monday night.

The council supported development of 60 acres of rolling hills, ponds and woods south of 71st Street near Quivira Road into 92 single-family home lots. It’s what remains of the Kenneth Smith home, golf club-making facility and private golf course. Twenty of the 60 acres, primarily in the southern portion, would stay undeveloped, with trees, ponds and streams.

Some neighbors were upset and pleaded with the council to delay the Kenneth Smith property rezoning, in part to study traffic and storm water impacts on their adjacent Fairway Hills neighborhood.

But some residents also just want to preserve the bucolic land as a reminder of golf’s glory days, when Kenneth Smith was known internationally for producing custom-made clubs for presidents, celebrities and golfing greats such as Horton Smith and Sam Snead.

Smith died in 1977 and his wife, Eva, died in 1999. The club-making facility closed in 2003. The Smiths’ old stone home and 60 acres have sat dormant ever since.

“Why are we doing this?” asked Xenia Black, who lives nearby on West 71st Street. “This is a great property. ... I’d love to see it made into a park.”

But Ward 4 Councilman Mickey Sandifer said he spoke to a Kenneth Smith foundation representative more than a decade ago about acquiring some of Kenneth Smith’s equipment on the site. He said the representative made it clear there was no way the city could afford to buy the property or its assets. He said the owner’s agent was interested in maximizing the foundation’s funds, not preserving Kenneth Smith’s legacy.

With that in mind, Sandifer said, the current Alpert Companies redevelopment proposal is the best one to come along in years and would be a good addition to the city.

“This is the best project I have seen,” Sandifer said, adding that he thinks it is better than a Rodrock development plan from the mid-2000s that never came to fruition. If this latest plan doesn’t materialize, he and others warned, the property and its buildings may continue to deteriorate, and the next plan may not be as desirable.

Alpert Companies President Jeffrey Alpert told the council he has done high-quality commercial and residential developments throughout Johnson County for 45 years, but this is the company’s first venture into Shawnee.

He said a business associate alerted him to the property last fall.

“We jumped on it,” he said. “The terrain is beautiful.”

Alpert told The Star that the homes would likely be valued from $400,000 to about $900,000 and would be built over about five years, depending on market conditions. The project does not require incentives and is valued at between $50 million and $60 million.

Alpert agreed the property has a great history and said he is determined to memorialize Kenneth Smith’s legacy in some way.

He hopes to preserve the Smith home, which dates from the 1800s but has been vandalized in recent years

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Kenneth and Eva Smith bought the stone home and 177 acres in Shawnee in 1933. The company operated in Shawnee from 1935 to 2003, and its client roster included Richard Nixon, Dwight Eisenhower, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Mickey Mantle. Famous clients and golf pros frequented the property’s private course to try out their clubs.

Gradually, most of the 177 acres were sold off for residential neighborhoods, including Fairway Hills.

Several Fairway Hills neighbors said they know this developer had a good reputation for high-end projects. But they urged the council to mandate a traffic study to ensure that children walking to school won’t be threatened by the added cars from 92 homes. Alpert said he was willing to do one and to explore traffic-calming designs on roads through the development.

Some residents also opposed the rezoning from R-1 single family residential to planned single family, which allows for slightly smaller lots and smaller side yards, potentially placing some homes closer to the Fairway Hills backyards.

Homes Association President Gene Russell urged the council to delay the rezoning, saying that an engineer hired by the association has concerns about water runoff on downstream properties.

The council declined to delay the rezoning, but Judd Claussen, a Phelps Engineering civil engineer hired by the developer, said he would look at the homes association’s storm water model to assure that the new development won’t adversely affect their homes.

“We recognize the concerns for the neighbors,” he told the council. He said the developer’s plans call for significantly improving the embankments and storage of two ponds on site to meet the city’s water detention standards.

Nearly 25 percent of nearby homeowners signed a petition protesting the rezoning, more than the 20 percent required. So that meant the rezoning needed at least seven supportive council votes. It surpassed that, garnering a unanimous council vote of 8-0. The mayor doesn’t vote.

The project still needs final plan approval, which will require another public hearing and council vote later.

The property sale is not yet complete and is contingent on additional development planning. Alpert said he hopes to close on the property purchase in October and if all goes well, construction could possibly start in the latter part of next year.

This story was originally published August 14, 2018 at 12:00 PM.