Overland Park City Council delays Brookridge vote, citing problems with dense development

It has potential, but it’s not there yet.

At its meeting Monday night, the Overland Park City Council put off voting on rezoning that would allow a proposed $2.4 billion mixed-use development to replace the Brookridge Golf & Fitness Club on Interstate 435 and Antioch Road, saying several changes needed to be made to the plan first.

After reviewing the project, the council asked the developer, Chris Curtin of Curtin Property Company, to consider scaling down the project, creating more open space, reconsidering building heights and acquiring properties necessary to make the appropriate traffic changes.

The council will revisit the item at its meeting on Nov. 2.

“I think what’s being proposed is high quality,” Councilman Terry Goodman told the council. “This project has much to recommend it. But there are cons as well and I suggest our efforts be focused on eliminating the negatives rather than killing a proposal that has potential to have a positive impact on our city.”

The proposed plan will transform 5.9 million square feet of the property into an upscale urban village. It will feature 2.2 million square feet of office space, more than 300,000 square feet of retail, around 2,000 multi-family units, a 650-seat movie theater, a 3,500-seat indoor performance venue and a 550-room hotel. The project also features a large park along Indian Creek.

Although the Planning Commission recommended approval of the project, Overland Park city staff recommended denial. The main reason was that the project relies on traffic improvements requiring ownership of property along Antioch Road not yet under the developer’s control.

Traffic improvements will include a proposed six-lane divided roadway section on Antioch Road, from 103^rd Street to the I-435 interchange, with auxiliary turning lanes.

Improvements also will have to be made to the interchange, but they will first require a “Break in Access” study to be completed, reviewed and approved by the Kansas Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.

Before they voted to continue the rezoning, several council members said they were concerned about the project’s high density.

“It’s too bad this project wasn’t at 95^th and Metcalf because it’s perfect for that spot,” said Councilman David White. “But it’s not, it’s here in a residential area and we have to consider if it fits. In my opinion, it doesn’t fit. This project will take a lot of revision to get my vote.”

His thoughts were echoed by numerous residents who showed up to speak out during the public hearing on the plan.

Many of them think the project is way too dense for the area, which is largely surrounded by single-family homes. They also fear the massive redevelopment will sink property values and spike traffic jams and take more than two decades to build out, as the developer estimated at a previous meeting.

“The people of Overland Park do not want this project to be completed because it is not in the right place,” Bob Miller, a resident who lives near the site, told the council. “It is putting a small city in the middle of single-family residences. I don’t want to live in a construction zone for the next twenty years. I ask you to please put yourself in our shoes. If a project of this magnitude and longevity was about to be put next to your home, would you vote for it?”

Another nearby resident, Wayne Smith, told the council he was flabbergasted the city would even consider allowing such a high density development to be built near Indian Creek, which he considers a smelly stream. He finds the idea of a park near the creek equally preposterous.

“It is one of the most polluted streams in Johnson County but developers want to turn it into a glorious park,” he said. “With all the dog poop and goose poop and E. coli flooding this park, that’s not a place where I want to go and eat lunch.”

Others were alarmed about the large performance venue being proposed.

“What if this all doesn’t get built or the performance center tries to rival the Sprint Center and features predominantly rock bands?” asked Barbara Stevens.” I don’t want to be stuck with this.”

There were a few residents who spoke out in favor of the development, however.

Overland Park resident Ginger Drybread told the council she thinks the area could use a large performance venue for high-quality entertainment.

Alan Farris, who doesn’t live near the site and is the senior vice president of Landmark National Bank, told the council he was impressed with the project.

“It’s a first-class development and in the best interest of the city,” he said. “It will create badly needed jobs and create an environment for people to work, live, and play.”

John Petersen, the legal representative for the developer, stressed to the council that the Brookridge mixed-use development was indeed a defining project for the community and could help transform that part of town entirely.

Although he considers the Pinehurst and Wycliff neighborhoods high quality, a large part of the commercial and multi-family units surrounding them are on the verge of blight, he said. A mixed-use oasis, embracing everyone from millennials to empty-nesters, will revitalize the area, he said.

And while many residents are upset about the project, Petersen told the council that his client went through an arduous process to meet the residents halfway. More than 100 changes were made to the project, with a key one being a lower density.

As for the traffic improvements, Petersen assured the council he is certain the developer will soon have control of all 12 properties necessary to make them.

In the end, it just comes down to taking a chance on a project that could be iconic for the entire Kansas City metro area, he said.

“If we want people to choose to live north of 435 and raise kids there, if we want to interject new vibrancy there, you need to invest,” he said.

This story was originally published September 22, 2015 at 10:26 AM with the headline "Overland Park City Council delays Brookridge vote, citing problems with dense development."