Underground parking proposal a first for the West Side

A company that has developed several apartment complexes around the Kansas City area is proposing a 60-unit building at 17th Street and Madison with a special twist for the busy West Side neighborhood — an underground parking garage.

EPC Real Estate outlined plans this week before the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority. The company has completed several high-end, mixed-use complexes around the metro area without seeking any public incentives.

“We’ve never asked for tax abatement before,” said EPC president Mike McKeen. “But we need to go underground with parking here, so we need help.”

The company seeks property tax abatement on the $14 million project, which aims to provide about 12,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and office space in addition to the apartment units. The PIEA board supported a funding agreement to undertake blight and financial feasibility studies preparatory to considering the abatement request.

The proposed 99-space parking garage would be large enough to accommodate residents and commercial tenants with public space left over, according to EPC’s project manager Austin Bradley.

Designs by Klover Architects show that the commercial component would be a two-story building at the southwest corner of the intersection with a four-story apartment building wrapped behind it. The developers also plan to build about four townhomes on part of the property.

EPC already owns the site, which includes a vacant warehouse and vacant land.

McKeen told the PIEA board that EPC has met with some West Side neighbors and expects to have more sessions to discuss the plans. He said he expects the underground parking to be favored by those who have trouble finding street parking for the restaurants and other locations in the vicinity. A block away, at 17th and Summit, several popular venues are clustered.

EPC mixed-use apartment projects include Savannah West in the Northland, the Village at Mission Farms in Johnson County, and co-development of 51Main south of the Country Club Plaza.