Massive food court, public market coming to this Kansas City neighborhood
A 29,000-square-foot public market space with multiple restaurant tenants is coming to Kansas City’s Historic Northeast neighborhood.
Think the Lenexa Public Market, but more than twice as large.
Carmen Chopp, CEO of Nomad Develops, is heading up the concept off of Independence Avenue and Hardesty Street. She helped design the Lenexa food court, which opened back in 2017.
The new market will feature 13 restaurant stalls and five retail tenants on the main floor (compared with the Lenexa Public Market’s eight merchants). Event and coworking space will live up top.
“Someone can come in and get a coffee, and also a card or fresh bouquet of flowers for a friend,” Chopp said. “To meet for lunch, to come for Friday happy hour and stay for the band.”
The space will also plans to hold cultural events for the diverse neighborhood.
The Northeast market’s mission will be the same as its Johnson County counterpart, however. It will feature local chefs who are looking to grow their presence in the area. (Interested parties can contact the group at hnemkc.com/be-a-vendor.) It plans a mid-2027 opening date.
Chopp said the public market model has been successful in Lenexa so far among customers and businesses alike, with vendors like Kate Smith Soiree/Butterfield’s and Red Kitchen KC going on to open their own brick and mortar stores.
“It’s not just a food hall,” she said. “When we go in and build a public market, we really want to put our roots down.”
The project is part of the larger Historic Northeast Public Market and Lofts development spearheaded by Arnold Development Group.
The 22-acre site will feature 395 apartments, 83% of which are designated as affordable housing. Public gathering spaces, a day care, coworking offices and a community gym will also be part of the space.
A 4-megawatt solar system will help power the development.
Arnold received $7.575 million through Kansas City’s Brownfields Revolving Loan Fund to build the development.
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Chopp said the marketplace and lofts will be one of the largest — if not the largest — city investments in the Northeast. She noted that it’s a neighborhood that’s been historically neglected.
In addition to it being home to a fast-growing international population, its median household income falls below averages for the city.
“It’s just about the community, reflecting the diverse population of this area,” she said. “I live in the historic Northeast, so it’s definitely a project that has my heart.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 5:00 AM.