Long-disputed Incred-A-Bowl site could be condemned because roof risks collapse

Potentially shoddy construction work done without the proper permits on a long-neglected former bowling alley in Overland Park has city officials worried that the roof could cave in, prompting a hearing to decide if the building should be condemned and possibly demolished.

It’s the latest hurdle for neighbors who have been hoping for nearly a decade that the old Incred-A-Bowl site at 8500 W. 151st Street would transform into something new.

They’ve heard empty promises from the building’s owner about his plans — most recently for an event center. And they’ve pleaded with officials in City Hall while watching the site fall into further disrepair year after year.

Gravel and sheets of metal have piled in the parking lot alongside potholes, tall grass, weeds and erosion. Code violations have racked up — 18 of them since 2018.

Now, the dangerous roof seems to be a final straw, pushing the city to give the owner an Oct. 6 deadline to make key safety improvements or risk demolition.

“Of all the projects in the city, this is one brought to my attention regularly,” Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog said during the July 22 City Council meeting, which discussed enforcement on the decaying site. “Unfortunately this takes time for us to enforce our ordinances and go to the courts. Please continue to be patient with us as we make sure that we have a building that fits our community’s expectations.”

During the meeting, the City Council approved the October deadline and public hearing, requiring staff to come back with a report on the site’s conditions whether improvements are made before the deadline or not. The building’s owner was not present during the July council meeting.

While the owner can’t be required to attend the hearing in October, it is his opportunity to make the case for why the city should not condemn his property. Several council members said they want to directly address him with their concerns.

The Star reached out to the owner at the Lenexa clinic he also owns, but he wasn’t available for comment before publication.

“For some person building a building and making it unsafe and trying to get by with it, that shows me there’s a deeper issue,” Councilmember Scott Mosher said. “It’s one thing to catch him but if you hadn’t caught him then there would have been an unsafe building.”

“At some point there has to be ramifications or clawback or legal action we can take for this being over and over again.”

Long an eyesore

Incred-A-Bowl opened in 1997 and was owned by former Kansas City Royals pitcher Danny Jackson and his wife, Mary.

Shortly after it closed in 2015, Dr. Paramjeet Sabharwal, a surgeon at MISH Hospital and Clinics in Lenexa, purchased the building.

Since that time, the current owner received several zoning approvals, including a special use permit for a hospital and an event space, according to city documents. The owner also controls vacant property to the north (8601 and 8621 W. 150th St.) which has zoning approval for two office buildings.

Permits have been issued for a gym, which has been completed. A second permit has been issued for a Bocce Ball space. The event center special use permit will expire on Sept. 9 if a permit is not issued for this work.

In 2022, the fire department determined that the site was “a cold dark shell” with the fire suppression system removed and combustible materials stored on site. The fire department issued a premise hazard notice – which was removed after the combustible materials were removed.

On two separate occasions in 2022 and 2024, a stop work order was issued due to work without a permit.

Roof could collapse

This summer, Overland Park’s code official requested a site inspection due to missed deadlines at the property.

“At the inspection, it was discovered that structural modifications to the roof system had occurred without proper design, permit or inspection,” according to city documents. “The building was posted as dangerous for human occupancy, which effectively halts work on the Bocce Ball space.”

The inspection found a new finished floor had been poured and left column pads exposed and extending above the floor. They had tried to create a higher ceiling without structural engineer oversight or any engineering inspections to the changes.

“This was not shown on any of the permits reviewed or issued for, this work was done without the benefit of the permit,” said Jim Brown, the Code of Appeals Staff Liaison. “We didn’t know they’d done it until we were out there doing another inspection.”

The unmonitored adjustments created an unsafe condition at the center of the building that could cause the roof to collapse, Brown said.

“I think given the circumstances we shouldn’t have construction workers in there with the risk of the ceiling coming down,” Brown said. “I certainly wouldn’t want a fire to happen and firefighters on the roof.”

Brown said that the fire department has been notified of the building’s issues and should fight any fires from a distance.

What’s next

Brown said he’s made two requests: One, to get a structural engineer involved, and two, to have an inspector involved. As of July 21, an application was outstanding in the Overland Park system to make modifications to the building, but the city hasn’t issued any permits yet.

According to city documents, the next court date for the outstanding violations is set for August 13.

The City Council hopes the work gets completed before Oct. 6, but the public hearing gives them the opportunity to keep an eye on the project.

While “it’s a strange thing to say,” Councilmember Melissa Cheatham was glad that this project got brought back to the dais.

“But I’m concerned that our ordinances don’t seem adequate to deal with situations like this,” Cheatham said. “I guess I’m lucky that I don’t live next door to it or drive by it all the time, but I wouldn’t want to.”

“It’s not right that a building owner can routinely, regularly, constantly disregard our rules and seem to get away with it for a very long time … I don’t think that’s right and I think we should consider modifying our ordinances.”