Park Place Partners, Hunt Midwest take innovative swing at luxury rental market

Park Place Partners and Hunt Midwest Residential Development have formed a joint venture to co-develop the metro area's first luxury rental villa community located on a golf course. Construction began in mid-2017, with the first homes available for occupancy by February 2018. 

Built by Lambie Custom Homes, The Fairways at City Center will include 80 twin villas with premium views of Canyon Farms Golf Course, all within walking distance to Lenexa City Center. 

Melanie Mann, who co-developed Leawood's successful Park Place mixed use project along with partner Jeff Alpert, said The Fairways at City Center responds to a growing renter-by-choice segment and caters to renters of all ages who don't want to sacrifice having a yard, basement, or garage space.

"Through our experience in other rental communities, we have found strong demand for larger, high-quality rental residences," Mann said. "People are selling their larger family homes and are looking for more flexibility. These villas help bridge the gap between single-family home ownership and the increasingly popular luxury apartment rental option."

The partnership brings together the creative, mixed-use expertise of Mann and Alpert with the wide and deep experience of Hunt Midwest Residential Development, which has more than 3,000 acres of land currently under development within the Kansas City metropolitan area including award-winning communities in Kansas City's Northland, Lee's Summit and Raymore, Missouri.

"Melanie and Jeff are known innovators in the local development community, and this has been a great partnership," said Ora Reynolds, president and CEO of Hunt Midwest. "Hunt Midwest is actively pursuing new residential concepts, including multifamily, senior housing and now, villa-style rental homes."

• Features of The Fairways at City Center include:
• -Approximately 2,200 square feet of finished space
• -3 Bedroom, 2.5 Bath units, which includes a flex room for office or guest use
• -2-Car garage
• -Rents starting at $2,800 per month
• -80 percent of homes include a golf course view
• -High-end finishes include granite countertops, stainless steel kitchen appliances, hardwood floors.
• -Maintenance provided

For more information, visit www.fairwayvillascitycenter.com; or call 913.283.9958.

Luxury rental villas are under construction for The Fairway at City Center with occupancy expected in 2018.

Red Bridge set to rise and shine with plans for new breakfast eatery

Lane4 Property Group's re-awakening of Red Bridge Shopping Center in South Kansas City continues with the announcement that Caleb’s Breakfast and Lunch will open in early 2018.

The new concept by Rebecca Huntsman will offer classic breakfast and lunch fare in a family-friendly environment. The breakfast business is a natural fit for Huntsman, whose father brought First Watch into the Kansas City area more than 30 years ago. But she says Caleb’s is about much more than food.

“We want to know the community. We want to be the community. We want to know the people that walk in our door, know how many grandchildren they have and what’s going on in their lives. And while we are getting to know the community, we’ll serve great food,” Huntsman said.

LANE4 President Owen Buckley said the father and daughter team have a strong and successful operating history in the region, making them ideal tenants for Red Bridge.

“I helped Ron secure his original First Watch restaurant at 95th and Metcalf 30 years ago,” Buckley said. “It’s really fun to work with him again… (They) are as excited as we are about delivering a great product to this special community.” 

Caleb’s is among a growing number of locally-owned and operated businesses choosing to locate in the Red Bridge Shopping Center.

“We see the retail market shifting and we see the strength in quality, local businesses. They add character and strength to our centers; that’s who we want at Red Bridge,” LANE4 Vice President Brandon Buckley added.

Red Bridge has moved from 50 percent to 80 percent occupancy since renovations were completed in early 2017, with Euston Hardware, Blue Bicycle and SERC Physical Therapy opening new locations. In addition, Blue Moose Bar & Grill, Aerial Fitness, and Crows Coffee are all in various stages of design and construction. Design is underway for Wonderscope Children’s Museum, with groundbreaking targeted for 2018.

Development team gets sneak peak of Midwest Gateway project (and so do you!)

Developers this week toured the Midwest Gateway project, a 487,000 square foot warehouse and distribution facility under construction at 191st & Homestead in Edgerton, Kan. Comprised of two buildings designed to accommodate multiple tenants, Midwest Gateway is adjacent to the entrance of BNSF Railway's intermodal facility and on track for tenant occupancy by the end of the year.

Midwest Gateway is one of a handful of facilities located along the heavy haul, I-35 corridor, which allows shippers to send heavier loads to and from the intermodal yard with significant reduction in drayage expenses. 

"With buildings sized at 186,000 and 301,000 square feet each, Midwest Gateway creates a rare opportunity for tenants seeking smaller format distribution facilities who want close proximity to the BNSF Intermodal," said Russell Pearson of NAI Heartland, which is co-marketing the project alongside Copaken Brooks. "The buildings have a number of unique features including upgraded LED lighting, future trailer parking, and the ability for users to lease or own.  Building 1 even has a balcony that over-looks the BNSF intermodal operations which is really impressive to see."

Midwest Gateway is being developed by Copaken Brooks and co-marketed by NAI-Heartland and Copaken Brooks. Additional project partners include GMA Architects, ARCO National Construction, Shafer, Kline & Warren, Krudwig & Associates and Metro Air. (Below: Nathan Anderson, NAI-Heartland; Bucky Brooks, Copaken Brooks; Aaron Schlagel, Copaken Brooks; Russell Pearson, NAI-Heartland)

Click the photos below to browse our slide show for a full construction update. More details online at MidwestGatewayKC.com. 

Panelists tackle trends and timely topics at sold-out MWM 2017 Multi-Family Summit

More than 170 guests attended MWM's 2017 Multi-Family Summit on Oct. 12 for breakfast, premium networking and a panel discussion moderated by Hunt Midwest's Brenner Holland. 

Here's a snapshot of panelist insights: 

“We are in a vibrant stage in my 25-year career. One of the leading indicators is the number of calls I get from lenders about sites from developers outside Kansas City, so that tells us that folks are either pooping out in some other markets and trying to come here, or they’re moving from different food groups into multi-family." -Jim Thomas, Cityscape Residential

“I think what has happened in Denver is similar to what has happened to California, where the prices have gotten astronomical and it’s unaffordable for virtually anybody at any income level... Quite honestly, I see Kansas City as the next Denver as people keep looking for more affordable places to live and work. We are certainly very well priced in the market for exceptional value.” -Aaron Rumple, Yaeger Architecture

“Boomers want larger units and more bonus space or an extra den area. Storage is very important to them. Millennials, on the other hand, are more concerned about walkability. They value space a little less and they place more value on amenities and the social aspect of amenities spaces in technology.” -Justin Duff, VanTrust Real Estate

“The amenity stuff keeps getting better and better, particularly with pools and clubhouses. On the technology side, we’re adding USB outlets inside the units and trying to accommodate what’s going to be standard technology as it grows. We’ve built penthouse units for a couple of projects. Those are the first to go, and usually the Boomers get them." -Aaron Neighbors, Neighbors Construction

“The new stuff is always going to fill up, and the reason is that those offer the best property and best amenities. It’s where people want to live. So we are building in places where the jobs are going, and then it’s not a question of ‘Will the new stuff fill up?’ It’s a matter of, ‘At what number will it fill up? Will you meet the pro forma, and will you hit your rents?' " -Aaron Mesmer, Block Real Estate Services

“Paramount to any development is having the best site selection-- access to highways, jobs and amenities-- because when people move into an apartment anymore, there are so many good options out there, you really have to have that ‘wow’ factor. So you need to be able to have people move into something where there’s a sense of place and they have to feel that they have 'arrived' somewhere.” -Mike McKeen, EPC Properties

“I think Kansas City-- the municipality-- really wants to expand opportunities for economic diversity. A lot of projects that we are seeing in the Historic Northeast area are all mixed-income products, so you are divvying up affordable versus market rate and really bringing more diversity into the neighborhood.” -Rachel Treanor, 4Sight Construction Group

Check out our slideshow below or head to our Facebook page slideshow and tag yourself! 

ULI 2017 Developments of Distinction: The Grocers Warehouse

The Grocers Warehouse is the former home of Kansas City’s famed Wolferman grocery distribution facility. The 60,000-square foot building located at the base of Roanoke Park in midtown Kansas City sat abandoned and forlorn for years until Matthew Hufft and Jesse Hufft began dreaming about reinventing and restoring the property.

“It had been vacant for over 10 years, and we kept thinking there had to be a way to revive the building. Trees were growing from the inside of it, there were lots of broken windows and it was just neglected,” said Matthew Hufft, owner of Hufft, a design collective that designs, constructs and fabricates everything from office space to office furniture. “We kind of thought, ‘We live in the neighborhood. Here is a building that needs help. How do we creatively put ourselves inside of it?”

The Huffts envisioned a mixed-use adaptation and historical preservation that could house their design firm and fabrication processes and also include 14 studio loft apartments. The project enabled Hufft to more than double its office and fabrication space from its previous 15,000 square foot location in Westport while more than doubling its headcount in two years.

“I like to say the building allowed us to become the company we wanted to be,” Jesse Hufft said. “We hope that what we have done with this building is going to add longevity, value, beautification, and maybe just a vibe and legitimacy to the area-- and we absolutely love having the chance to put life back into this spot."

The project was first among several redevelopments taking place in the Roanoke neighborhood and is often praised for serving as a catalyst for neighborhood revitalization, but the Huffts credit the nonprofit Roanoke Park Conservancy with leading the charge.  

Hufft provided development, architecture, design and general contractor services for the project.