New construction continues at John Knox Village

John Knox Village has broke ground on the Meadows II apartment building, an $18 million, 121,410-SF addition that will tie in with the existing Meadows building built in 2017.

“This is a very top-end, very nice facility,” said Jeff Wasinger, vice president of the Haren Companies, the general contractor on the project. “To be part of something that is as first-class as this project is going to be a lot of fun for us.”

The four-story building will sit atop a 52-space parking garage and add 52 apartments with full kitchens, washers and dryers, sunrooms, walk-in closets, balconies and common spaces on each floor for amenities. There will also be ample space for residents, with floor plans averaging 1,257-SF per unit.

“The Meadows II project is a continuation of the redevelopment of our campus.  ‘Reimagining John Knox Village’ was a phrase we used a few years ago and still holds true today.  Our new project development has continued full speed ahead even through the pandemic.  Now more than ever, retirees are seeing the value of community and all the support possible through living at John Knox Village,” said John Knox Village president and CEO, Dan Rexroth.

The Meadows II is part of John Knox Village's redevelopment plan and is expected to be open to residents in late summer 2022.

“People who are ready to move to senior living are at a life transition and John Knox is successful because they care about their tenants and clients and they do it the right way,” said Wasinger.

In addition to senior living, Haren also specializes in municipal projects, fire stations, retail, commercial, historic renovation, mixed use, multifamily and daycare.

Haren Companies, a fourth-generation, family-run business based in Lenexa, Kan., has been in the senior living market for around 15 years and has done multiple projects for John Knox Village — including the Village Assisted Living 400 wing, renovations for the original Meadows building and a memory care unit.

Thrasher to build new HQ at Southlake Office Park

Construction has begun on a new KC office headquarters for Thrasher Foundation Repair, a midwest foundation repair company, at Southlake Office Park in Lenexa, Kan.

The five-acre site, acquired from developer City+Ventures, is located near I-35 and Renner Blvd. and will serve as Thrasher’s new, 25,000-SF Kansas City headquarters, providing both office and warehouse space.

“Southlake Office Park continues to see significant momentum and interest from a variety of users,” said Chris Erickson, co-founder of City+Ventures.

“The demand for quality space in a prime location such as this is driving market activity for the region. We enthusiastically welcome Thrasher and are excited for the future of Southlake.”

JLL, who represents City+Ventures at Southlake, plans for investing in new building amenities, providing Class-A common areas and tenant finishes and developing the interior land sites with complimentary uses for the existing office tenants.

Southlake has additional land available for purchase, ranging from three to 15 acres or for build-to-suit opportunities. This is the second tract sold at the Southlake Office Park this year, following JLL’s completed sale of a 3.6-acre site for a new VA clinic in January 2020.

Southlake offers a variety of options for businesses with both Class A and B office offerings, flex space for companies requiring warehouse or loading capabilities, and 45 acres for development. The park has an on-site daycare center, on-site management office, the Lenexa Conference Center and the Lenexa Chamber of Commerce, and is strategically located in the center of Johnson County with easy access to I-35, I-435 and K-10 Highways.

Current amenities include three miles of walking trails, 10 well-stocked ponds, redundant high-speed fiber and dual power feeds. New amenities and upgrades to the properties have commenced construction this year, including Class-A common areas and tenant finishes, new monument signage for the entire park, new exterior painting of the Tech Center buildings, updated landscaping and the development of interior land sites with complimentary uses for the existing office tenants.

The design/construction team for Thrasher Foundation Repair project is comprised of Ryan Companies, TACK Architecture and Sidekick Development.

Established in 1975, Thrasher Foundation Repair is a part of Thrasher Group and does basement waterproofing, foundation repair, and concrete repair based out of Omaha, Neb., with regional locations in Wichita, Kansas City, Des Moines, Sioux City and Grand Island.

For more information about Southlake Office Park properties, please contact RJ Trowbridge at rj.trowbridge@am.jll.com.

The project, which is currently under construction, has an anticipated completion date of Q3 2021.

What's in store for Hunt Midwest's StorTropolis?

Hunt Midwest continues to expand StorTropolis, its brand of state-of-the-art, climate controlled self-storage facilities throughout the Kansas City metro.

The developer has opened a 138,000-SF facility at 3140 Northwest Jefferson Street in Blue Springs, Mo. and begun construction on its fifth area StorTropolis location on a five-acre site near K-10 and Woodland Road in Lenexa, Kan.

Hunt Midwest entered the self-storage development industry in 2018 and, in partnership with Strickland Construction, has successfully built and opened three additional StorTropolis facilities – StorTropolis Brighton and StorTropolis Tiffany Springs in Kansas City, Mo; and StorTropolis Shawnee in Shawnee, Kan.

“Increasing demand for high-quality self-storage units fueled by a demographically diverse customer base presented the ideal opportunity for Hunt Midwest to invest in the resilient and fast-growing self-storage industry,” said Doug Coleman, vice president of acquisitions and investments for Hunt Midwest.

Each three-story StorTropolis building ranges in size from 104,000 - 138,000 SF and offers 580 - 760 climate-controlled storage units.

StorTropolis also offers various sized units, from five-feet by five-feet to ten-feet by thirty-feet, in addition to enclosed parking units large enough to accommodate RV storage. They feature a clean, secured environment with drive-through access to fully enclosed, indoor loading and unloading areas; elevators; and gated storage entry accessible 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

The latest technology is used to monitor temperature and humidity levels of storage buildings and provides 24-hour video surveillance throughout the property.

StorTropolis emerged as an industry leader in 2018 when it became the first facility in the metro to offer contactless unit rental. Its interactive website allows customers to view available units, compare pricing, and complete the leasing process with the click of a button.

All locations include an onsite leasing office open six days a week for customers to lease units via phone or in-person. For added convenience, a customer service call center is also available 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

StorTropolis is operated by Storage Asset Management (SAM), a privately owned, third party management company that specializes in self-storage.

“We’re thrilled to provide leasing and property management services for StorTropolis locations throughout the metro,” said Melissa Stiles, vice president of marketing and sales for SAM.

“These high-quality facilities feature a variety of self-storage solutions and modern amenities in a climate controlled atmosphere that customers are looking for. Our knowledgeable onsite property managers are committed to providing StorTropolis patrons the highest level of customer service and are dedicated to getting involved and giving back to the local community,” Stiles said.

In addition to the opening of StorTropolis Blue Springs, StorTropolis Lenexa is anticipated to open summer 2021. The 111,000-SF facility will offer 760 storage units, including 15 enclosed parking units for RV storage.