A glimpse of what Meadowbrook park, development will have to offer
It took months of meetings with councils, commissions and neighbors, but the day for the first spade to be turned finally arrived Monday at the former Meadowbrook Golf and Country Club in Prairie Village. And those on hand were not about to let a little rain and thunder stand in their way.
“This has been a long time coming. There was nothing that was going to keep us from this groundbreaking today,” said Rich Muller, executive vice president of developer VanTrust Real Estate as he and a tent full of officials prepared Monday to turn over their ceremonial first spades. His remarks were punctuated by thunder and a downpour as officials gathered on the greens along Nall Avenue.
In just about a week, depending on the weather, the big machinery will roll onto the grounds and work will begin to turn it into a residential and hotel area alongside an 82-acre park.
The entire development is expected to take four to six years to complete.
When it is finished, the approximately 130 acres bounded by 91st and 95th Streets and Roe and Nall avenues will be transformed into single and multi-family dwellings, senior living and an inn with 5,000 square feet of retail, plus a park that will be the largest in northeast Johnson County.
That park will include about three miles of biking and walking tails, a senior fitness area, playgrounds and picnic areas, incorporating three ponds for stormwater management into the recreational area. The Johnson County Park and Recreation District board recently voted to spend $8 million on park features, including $3.8 million to tear down the clubhouse and replace it with a structure that is wheelchair accessible. (Read story here.)
The park will fulfill a long-held wish of the district to have a major green space in the northeast part of the county. Park director Jill Geller and park board chairman Paul Snider were both enthusiastic.
“Regardless of the weather, this is a beautiful day at Meadowbrook Park,” Geller said.
Park construction will start with the ponds and trails, she said.
The private part of the development will feature 330 senior housing units, 53 single family lots, 70 townhome and 280 luxury apartments, as well as a boutique inn and 5,000 square feet of retail space.
The groundbreaking ceremony Monday was the culmination of years of work. The Prairie Village City Council approved a redevelopment plan in 2008 that would have kept the golf course and added a senior living center. That plan fell through because of the slow economy, though.
A forerunner of VanTrust bought the property soon after and began work on the current project, eventually getting approval for public financing to pay for the park.
Approval involved getting eight stakeholder groups, including several public entities, to sign off. Among them were the Prairie Village planners and council, Johnson County Commission, Johnson County Wastewater, the park district and the Shawnee Mission school board, which toyed briefly with the idea of a veto of the tax increment financing. The school district did not follow through on that idea.
“We know the Meadowbrook development will be a source of great pride and also bring a lot of joy to our residents for many years to come,” said Prairie Village Mayor Laura Wassmer.
Roxie Hammill: roxie.hammill.news@gmail.com.
This story was originally published May 24, 2016 at 11:38 AM with the headline "A glimpse of what Meadowbrook park, development will have to offer."