Site work resumes on Veterans Park senior village in Shawnee

Site work has resumed at Bonavia at Veterans Park, a Class-A apartment complex, and Veterans Park Senior Village, a villa community, on the northwest corner of 62nd Street and Pflumm Road in Shawnee, Kan.

Shawnee-based developer, JC Mulligan Development Group, restarted site work on August 7, 2020 after a nearly six-month delay, resulting from the economic effects of COVID-19.

The four and five-story Bonavia at Veterans Park apartments - intended for active adults 55 years and older - include 228 units with elevator-access. Veterans Park Senior Village will consist of 60 attached villas, starting at $345,000 per unit.

Approximate rental rates for the Bonavia will be $1,425 per month for a one-bedroom, 900-SF unit and $1,750-$1,875 per month for the two-bedroom, 1,100 -1,200-SF units.

Wichita-based Omega Senior Living will manage the development and offer social events, continuing education classes, fitness classes and video entertainment.

The community-center style clubhouse will feature exercise facilities, card room, media room, reception room and a kitchenette. Other amenities include a saltwater pool with zero-depth entry, hot tub and cabana, walking paths, a putting green and a bocce ball court.

JC Mulligan Development Group bought the property in September 2018 from Qrivit and has no plans to pursue public financing.

Site improvements are expected to be complete within the next few months, followed by construction of the apartments and villas. The project is expected to be complete by winter 2022-23.

Urban Outfitters brings jobs, economic stability to Kansas City heartland

The lure of centralized transportation, deep talent pool and strong partnerships proved lucrative to Urban Outfitters (UO) in their recent selection of Kansas City, Kan. as the new home for an 880,000-SF, omni-channel distribution center, which will be located on ancillary land at Kansas Speedway.

The partnership between the State of Kansas and Philadelphia-based URBN will create up to 2,000 new jobs and invest approximately $350 million in Kansas over the next several years.

The Department of Commerce worked closely with KC SmartPort, the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC), the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County in attracting UO to the KC region.

“This was a true collaboration to generate an economic development success story that will deliver benefits in Wyandotte County and beyond in our state,” said Governor Laura Kelly.

URBN cited Kansas’ central location, transportation infrastructure and skilled workforce as key factors in choosing Kansas for its distribution operation, acknowledging the location as critical to its distribution network.

“Our region is strategically positioned in America’s heartland as a major transportation hub, so this decision makes all the sense in the world. This partnership will bring thousands of jobs and much needed investments to our community, and in turn benefit our entire state. I look forward to working with Urban Outfitters to ensure it is a smooth transition,” said Kansas Representative Sharice Davids.

"We are impressed with their culture and desire to work with the community to address community issues like transit, childcare, a local hiring goal, good wages and using local, minority and women-owned companies in the construction of their facility.

The investment and number of jobs are impressive, but the long term opportunities for growth with a company like Urban Outfitters is even more impressive. (We are) appreciative to the State of Kansas, Unified Government, Kansas Speedway, BPU and Hillwood Properties to bring this to fruition,” said Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council.

About UO: Urban Outfitters is a lifestyle retailer dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding. Founded in 1970 in a small space across the street from the University of Pennsylvania, Urban Outfitters now operates over 200 stores in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Nation's largest senior care referral firm selects KC for new office, creating 600+ jobs

The largest senior care referral service in North America, A Place for Mom, Inc. (APFM), plans to open their fourth office location in Overland Park, Ks. next week.

The Seattle-based, privately-held company signed a lease on a temporary space on the Sprint Campus while they finalize their new office details - including building out their permanent Overland Park location.

With offices currently in Seattle, New York City and Naples, FL., APFM's growing business plans include creating more than 600 jobs in the KC metro area in the coming years.

“We are committed to creating a world-class operation in the Kansas City area as we continue to transform our business to best serve our customers,” said Larry Kutscher, CEO of A Place for Mom.

A Place for Mom’s new Overland Park office will be the home to several job categories that are core to the company’s business operations - including managerial talent, finance and human resources professionals, local advisors, information technology experts, engineers, designers, writers, customer service associates and other support staff functions.

“We’re thrilled A Place for Mom has chosen Kansas for its new location. The jobs created and the investment in Overland Park will have a significant impact on the Greater Kansas City region,” Kansas Secretary of Commerce David Toland said.

“We look forward to welcoming A Place for Mom to the Kansas community and working with them as they grow their presence in our state,” Toland said.

Founded in 2000, A place for Mom employs more than 500 senior living experts and works with more than 16,000 provider communities in the United States and Canada. By growing its core operations, APFM will be able to continue to provide the most up-to-date information, tools, and options to help customers find the senior living arrangement that would best meet their specific needs.

“Overland Park regularly ranks among the top places for families in the nation, including caring for members of our extended family,” said Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach.

“It’s truly an honor for Overland Park to be home to A Place for Mom, a company that provides insight and information to make it a little easier to give the compassionate and necessary attention our parents and elders deserve. We look forward to supporting the company’s growth and its 600 employees in the coming years,” Mayor Gerlach said.

The Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC) worked with a number of regional partners in attracting A Place for Mom to the Kansas City region including the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Council, the Kansas Department of Commerce, Occidental Management, Parker + Lynch/Ajilon, CBRE, Evergy, Kansas Gas, Johnson County Community College and TeamKC. 

“The Kansas City region naturally excels at customer care and offers competitive location advantages for companies from both coasts that need to serve a North American customer base,” said Tim Cowden, president and CEO of KCADC.

“We are excited to welcome A Place for Mom into our region’s operational and shared services corridor in KC Heartland,” Cowden said.

Hiring is already underway, and there will be openings at all levels, from recent college graduates to senior management. Interested candidates are encouraged to view opportunities and apply at aplaceformom.com/about/careers. 

Firebirds, First Watch join Lee's Summit's Streets of West Pryor

The first restaurant tenants have been announced for the Streets of West Pryor development, currently under construction at I-470 & Pryor Road in Lee’s Summit, Mo.

Drake Development president, Matt Pennington, revealed Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and First Watch as the first restaurant tenants at the mixed-use development.

“Our whole team is being very selective about what goes in. This development, to me, is kind of the trend-setter of Lee’s Summit,” Pennington said.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, based out of Charlotte, NC., offers chef-curated American fare out of its "100% from-scratch" kitchen. The restaurant specializes in hand-cut steaks, sustainable seafood and craft cocktails.

Pennington said Firebirds focuses on quality when expanding its franchise.

“There’s only three locations opening in the whole country in 2020 - we’re one of them. So you can imagine what goes into that,” Pennington said.

Besides being an environmentally-conscious restaurant, Firebird's is also a partner of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, which works to fight childhood cancer #OneCupAtATime.

The second restaurant, First Watch, is based out of University Park, FL., and has been serving up fresh, made-to-order breakfast and lunch since 1983. According to their website, the restaurant welcomes customers with a pot — not just a cup — of their Project Sunrise coffee, along with complimentary newspapers and WiFi Internet access.

More tenant announcements are expected to be announced soon, but Pennington stressed that Drake is not in a rush to fill the leases.

“We’re just taking our time - making sure it’s the exact right users, rather than just filling it up,” Pennington said.

The 70-acre mixed use development will feature apartments, senior living, a hotel, McKeever’s Market grocery store and connected walking trails to nearby Lowenstein Park.

The first phase of Streets of West Pryor is on track to open later this year.

Twin Creeks Village infrastructure breaks ground

The North Platte Purchase Drive, Line Creek Parkway, and North Tiffany Springs Road improvements broke ground yesterday in Kansas City, MO.

McClure, MD Management, Superior Bowen, and the City of Kansas City are working together to complete an infrastructure project that will open up the adjacent ground for development opportunities within the Twin Creeks Village area.

“With today’s transportation infrastructure groundbreaking, the City of Kansas City, Missouri will see opportunities for growth in population, property tax base, and sales tax,” said Alicia Stephens, executive director of the Platte County EDC.

“Our Northland TIF’s do exactly what is intended—fund our infrastructure," Stephens said.

The project, led by MD Management, consists of an extension of Line Creek Parkway and Tiffany Springs Road, North Platte Purchase Drive improvements and sanitary sewer extensions throughout the area. These improvements will facilitate the development of a new sports complex, future development of Platte County R-3 School District facilities, as well as new commercial and residential development areas.

"This project has been a long time coming, and it’s good to finally see it kick-off,” said Councilman Dan Fowler. “I’m very excited about the opportunities it will bring, not only to the Northland, but to the entire city,” Fowler added.

“Today, we are taking steps to bring positive enhancements to this community,” said Erika Feingold, VP of MD Management. “We are fortunate to be able to form a productive public/private partnership with the City to produce an area that will be home to educational, recreational, and commercial endeavors,” Feingold said.

This is the first step towards the full realization of the Twin Creeks Plan, the largest planned growth area in Kansas City.