Brookridge redevelopment agreement needed

Overland Park officials properly continue to pursue a solid compromise on plans to redevelop the Brookridge Golf and Fitness Club.

The City Council is listening to many neighbors who live in single-family homes and think the large, mixed-used project would damage the quality of life in their neighborhoods.

However, the council correctly has not totally rejected the proposals of developer Chris Curtin.

The standoff needs to be resolved. The ultimate result should be a package that’s more appealing to neighboring residents while allowing the developer to proceed with building new housing and offices.

Recently, the council decided it would not allow the project to move forward. But Curtin can file a new plan for the site anytime he wants and won’t have to pay a fee that’s normally required for that action.

Council members who support the overall project say it’s going to be a good re-use of a large piece of property near Interstate 435 and Antioch Road. The new apartments, retail uses and offices could attract people to live, shop and work in an older part of the city.

However, a few elected officials raise reasonable points when they express worries about possible traffic congestion in the area. That could inconvenience residents who have not had to deal with that problem for the years or decades they have lived in their houses.

The City Council will have to do what’s best for Overland Park’s long-term future.

Proposals to build apartments and create a residential density in that part of the city could delay further, costly sprawl in the city.

And if the Brookridge redevelopment brings in more office space, that could lead to a lot more tax-producing jobs.

The city, neighbors and developer should continue working toward a compromise that can provide the most benefits to all of them — while recognizing no one is going to get everything they want.