Long vacant Johnson County strip mall expects new grocery store this summer

Shawnee residents could expect a new Fresh Market grocery store opening this summer after the City Council unanimously approved a six-month extension to complete a redevelopment project at a long-vacant, dilapidated site.

Built in 1988, the former Westbrooke Village shopping center on 75th Street and Quivira Road saw a growing number of vacancies and damage from vandalism after its anchor grocery store, Dillon’s, left in 2008.

In an effort to breathe some life into the property, the Shawnee City Council approved rezoning and tax incentives for MP Westbrooke North LLC — a joint venture of Mission Peak Capital — to redevelop the 32-acre site to add apartment buildings, retail and a new grocery store back in 2017.

But the developer only finished the apartment buildings, and left the commercial side mostly untouched and vacant — prompting the City Council to give the commercial portion of the project to Westbrooke Partners LLC in 2024, according to the staff report.

A months-long wait to get the proper permits kept Westbrooke Partners from beginning construction immediately. With one of its deadlines on Monday, the developer requested a six-month extension in order to complete the project.

With the approved extension, Paul Guastello, the developer of the project, said the Fresh Market grocery store is expected to be open before the 2026 FIFA World Cup comes this summer and become an anchor for the site.

“We have something we can build on and foot traffic with the grocery store will help (other) tenants succeed as well,” he said.

Tighter deadlines, clawback protections

In 2017, the Shawnee City Council approved the $113 million project to refresh the shopping center and accompanying tax incentives. To help finance the project, the council approved a 20-year, $19.5 million tax increment financing district — a funding tool where the local government agrees to divert future incremental gains in property tax on the site to reimburse the developers for certain expenses.

Additionally, council also approved a community improvement district at the site and industrial revenue bonds to offset eligible construction costs.

When the City Council passed the project on to Westbrooke Partners in 2024, they amended the contract agreement with the developer to include more clawback measures to protect the city’s investment — adding deadlines that could allow the city to pull back its incentives should progress stall again.

The contract agreement had an “important milestone” for the grocery store to be operational by Monday, but delays in permitting among other issues stalled progress early on in the development, City Manager Paul Kramer told the City Council on Monday.

“We don’t come to the City Council lightly for extensions … However, from time to time there are conditions in the market with different construction factors, weather factors that come into play,” City Manager Paul Kramer told the council during its meeting on Monday. “When we believe a good faith effort and a lot of progress has been made, we bring that to you.”

“We can say the progress has been great out there. It started off slow, but picked up over the last 12 months.”

Monday’s approval didn’t allocate any more money to the project, rather it gave the developer more time to build on the project’s momentum and “drive this thing home,” Guastello said, before yanking back public funding.

Who else is moving in?

Alongside the Fresh Market grocery store, he said the 100,000 square-foot site will be home to a Mexican restaurant, a local barbershop, a local nail salon, a coffee and donut shop, and a new national pizza franchise. Directly across from the grocery store, a Chinese restaurant is interested in the entire space.

Specific restaurants and franchises haven’t been named as of Jan. 26.

Despite working with Mi Pueblito Meat Market — one of the few storefronts operating at the site — the market’s owners decided against renewing their lease at the site. Q Liquor, a former liquor store at the site that closed, has said it wants to come back.

“It’s an inclusive development, set up for all demographics around the center,” Guastello said. “It’s a diverse tenant mix — daily needs for the grocery store plus luxury needs like the nail salon and such.”

Guastello Jr. anticipates $40 million in annual sales tax revenue to the city.

“Taking something from a zero and being able to put $40 million worth of retail sales is something important for us as a developer and the city,” he said.

Grocery store is almost ready

The permits in March allowed construction to begin in full swing — removing old wooden frame windows and replacing them with aluminum commercial store front windows, replacing awnings from vinyl to cedar, repaving and redoing the islands in the parking lot and updating the drainage system, Guastello said.

“The grocery store is the biggest component and this is what drove this redevelopment,” he said, adding that the plumbing is complete, the concrete repoured and the electric and HVAC systems ready.

“We’re full steam now, we’re putting floors in as we speak now.”

The entire interior of the site will feature brand new construction, he said.

The floors are expected to be complete by mid-February and the painting to be done by March 1, Guastello said. Freezers, coolers and other necessary equipment will arrive in April, and they will be putting shelving up in conjunction with equipment arrival.

With Monday’s approval, the developer plans on having an occupancy permit for the grocery store by June 1.