‘This could be detrimental’: Divided Overland Park board advances Ranch Mart project
Despite opposition from a few hundred Johnson County residents, the Overland Park planning commission on Monday narrowly voted to advance plans for an apartment complex at the Ranch Mart South shopping center.
EPC Real Estate Group and Ranch Mart South, LLC are proposing redeveloping a strip of duplexes and an existing parking structure at the shopping complex, on the southeast corner of 95th Street and Mission Road. Plans call for 210 units, with buildings standing three to five stories high, above a two-level parking garage, for up to seven stories total.
Attorney Bob Johnson, with the Polsinelli law firm representing the developer, said the apartments will be advertised for older, but still active adults, ages 55 and up. He hopes to attract seniors to live in the area who could walk to the neighboring businesses, restaurants and Glenwood Arts movie theater.
The team also wants to redevelop the existing, mostly unused first level of the Ranch Mart South building to be a 365-unit storage facility.
Roughly 350 people have signed an online petition against the project, arguing that the buildings will tower over their ranch-style homes, worsen the characteristics of the neighborhood, plus lead to traffic backups and flooding issues. They also argue that the project does not include enough parking — 238 spaces for the apartments, with additional spots for the public.
On a split vote, the planning commission voted 6-5 to approve rezoning for the project. It will now go to the City Council for final approval at its Oct. 5 meeting.
“I think our neighborhood and the homeowners are pro-development. We’re for progress and we own property here because we want what’s best for the community,” Eric Hernandez, who lives south of the project, said in an interview. “But the whole density and scale of the project is really going to be right on top of the neighborhood. It’s too tall, too close to homes, too dense. This could be detrimental to our neighborhood.”
Five of the planning commissioners agreed with the 15 neighbors who spoke at Monday’s meeting, saying that a seven-story structure is too tall for the area made up of many one-story, single-family homes. Member Janie Thacker said while there were several things she likes about the proposal, she couldn’t agree to such a massive building, especially without transition space between the development and neighbors’ backyards.
Johnson said that the developers will add buffering between homes and the project, such as mature trees. But demolishing the duplexes, 15 in total that many agreed were outdated, will take away from the existing flow from commercial to residential.
Thacker also added that she is a “big fan of resident diversity, and while this would be popular with seniors, I see this intersection as something that would benefit from a full community of people of all different ages.”
Many commissioners said that it was the right project for Overland Park, but in the wrong location. Some, however, argued that the city and Johnson County need more senior living options as the older population grows, and that housing at Ranch Mart could be an answer.
“As a city if we want to maintain viability and keep people here, we need to become more dense. I know there’s a right way and a wrong way to do that,” Commissioner David Hill said. “I love the whole concept of maintaining an area’s viability, economically and socially.”
Johnson argued that adding housing to the shopping center will help keep the businesses alive, despite the challenging retail environment from the pandemic.
The project would sit on more than 11 acres at the center, which borders Leawood — home to Ranch Mart North —and sits kitty-corner to Prairie Village. The area is welcoming several new developments, and in January, the city of Leawood approved a $47 million redevelopment plan for that portion of the shopping complex, with updated facades, a new plaza and mixed-use spaces.
Developers held two neighborhood meetings this summer, and slightly reduced the scale of the project to accommodate residents’ demands. But some neighbors and commissioners argued that other concerns still need to be addressed.
Many worry about the project adding to traffic congestion, like on Mission Road. A traffic study showed minimal impact from the proposed apartments, but some pointed out that the study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, with many residents working from home.
Commissioners Kip Strauss and Mike Flanagan called for a more comprehensive traffic impact study, possibly a collaboration with Leawood and Prairie Village.
“This impacts several different individuals in Johnson County. Not just people from Overland Park. This shopping center directly impacts people in all three cities,” Hernandez said.
Hernandez and other residents also worry about stormwater runoff and flooding. His home, which is downhill from 95th Street, has flooded in the past, he said. A city official said that while the storm sewer lines are about 70 years old, they should be able to support the project with minimal repairs.
While the planning commission approved the project on a split vote, residents continue to organize and protest it. Several homes now feature yard signs with a red stop sign on them, reading “Stop Ranch Mart high-rise apartments.”
