OP planning board postpones a vote on Brookridge project

The fate of a much anticipated massive development proposed for the northeast corner of Interstate 435 and Antioch Road is still unknown, as residents spoke out against the project, Overland Park city staff recommended denial of it and the planning commission put off a vote Monday night.

After more than four hours of discussion, the Overland Park Planning Commission voted to continue the hearing for the proposed Brookridge Golf Club mixed use project to July 13.

The developer, Curtin Property Co., is expected to return with more information and possible changes to the 6 million-square-foot project on more than 200 acres.

In addition to office space, retail and residential living, the mixed-use project also promises a few high-end hotels, a 3,500-seat indoor performance venue and a 650-seat movie theater. Forty acres of green space will be preserved as a public park.

Several commissioners said they were too torn about the project to make a proper vote on the development Monday night. Impressed with the mixed-use concept, many said they felt the project was heading in the right direction, but they had several key issues with its street improvement phasing and its design plan.

City staff recommended denial of the project because it relies upon off-site traffic improvements that include the use of property not yet under the developer’s control.

The redevelopment plan calls for a six-lane divided roadway section on Antioch Road, from 103rd Street to the I-435 interchange. A new traffic signal would be needed for the main entrance to the site.

To make the full improvements, however, the developer needs control of 12 homes located on Antioch Road.

John Petersen, the legal representative for Curtin, said at the meeting that only six of the homes have been secured. The rest are either in serious talks or up in the air.

The developer had proposed an interim set of improvements to Antioch Road to coincide with the first phase of the project’s development, with the hopes that the rest of the street improvements could be made once the remaining properties could be purchased.

But city staff were unmoved, saying the off-site improvements should be made with the first phase of the project.

The majority of commissioners agreed.

A few of the commissioners also expressed worry about design aspects of the project, such as the placement of four-story multi-family units along 103rd Street and high density throughout the project.

“This is a vitally important project — it’s at an important intersection in an older part of the city,” said Commissioner Ned Reitzes. “I know the developer wants to get it right and so do we. I like this mixed-use concept, but I’m uncomfortable with the scale of this project.”

Many of the commissioners seemed optimistic about the project’s potential.

“I’m a big advocate of mixed use and I’m a big fan of redevelopment,” said Commissioner Steve Troester. “We see plowed ground sprawling out all the time. It’s a non-sustainable solution for the world. So when I see redevelopment opportunities, I get excited. It’s the future.”

The dozens of residents who showed up to the public hearing, however, weren’t as impressed with the concept.

Most of them said the project isn’t suitable for the area, which is mainly surrounded by residential neighborhoods.

“When I bought our home, I wanted to live in a suburb, not an urban city,” Bob Miller, a resident in the nearby Wycliff subdivision, told the Planning Commission.

He also expressed unhappiness with the project’s projected timeline.

“And one thing that hasn’t really been discussed tonight is that this project will take 20 years to complete,” Miller continued. “So, if this project is approved, you are sentencing us to live in a construction zone for 20 years.”

Many residents were confused why the golf course had to even be redeveloped. They wanted the area to remain green space.

“Right now, I see a beautiful green lawn spreading oxygen into the air,” said Rita Culver, who lives across from the site. “If this project passes, I will see a parking lot instead. That would be very sad.”

Joanne Rodkey, who has lived near the site for 48 years, has watched developments pop up around her neighborhood and said she has adjusted to it.

But she believes the current Brookridge proposal is fatal to the area, because it is unnecessary.

“There are two almost identical projects moving forward, one at the former Metcalf South Mall and the other near 69 Highway and College,” she said. “When reading plans for those projects, one could substitute the name ‘Brookridge’ and it would be the same. I doubt this project will survive. You’ll just be destroying a beautiful piece of land.”

Living in Pinehurst Estates, Barbara Stevens told the commissioners she is concerned that the multi-family units will bring in hundreds of new children for the Shawnee Mission School District. She is also concerned for the safety of people who will need to cross those proposed additional lanes of Antioch traffic to reach the nearby synagogue or go to school.

Another resident, Nancy Anstaett, said the character of the surrounding neighborhoods simply doesn’t support the massive development being proposed.

The residents weren’t the only ones frustrated at the meeting.

While Petersen was thankful the Planning Commission continued the hearing to give the developer more time to work on the issues presented, he was visibly aggravated that the city staff would continue recommending denial of the project until the developer had acquired all 12 homes necessary for the full traffic improvements to Antioch Road.

Petersen emphasized to the Planning Commission and city staff that obtaining those homes would not happen overnight.

“You can’t force people to sell their homes,” he said. “It’s not about money, it’s about their lives. It’s about where they raised their children and where they saw themselves retiring one day.”

He told the Planning Commission that the developer would take another look at lowering the project’s density and the height of the buildings on 103rd Street.

He hopes at the next meeting, the commissioners will take it upon themselves to approve rezoning for the area, despite the city’s stance, allowing the project to become one step closer to reality.

“Our goal is to create something iconic,” Petersen said. “This is a truly one-of-a-kind special place being proposed in Overland Park.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2015 at 1:56 PM with the headline "OP planning board postpones a vote on Brookridge project."