Hunt Midwest and Principal Senior Living Group open ninth Benton House

Hunt Midwest, in partnership with Principal Senior Living Group, recently welcomed the first residents to Benton House of Olathe, its newest assisted living and memory care community located at 15700 W. 151st St. in Olathe, KS.

“Benton House of Olathe is situated amongst several established neighborhoods, providing area seniors needing assistance with daily activities the option to remain in the same community, close to friends and family,” said Ora Reynolds, president and CEO of Hunt Midwest.

“Excellent schools, city services and a full range of housing options have made Olathe a popular choice for families to call home, but market research indicated a gap between demand and the availability of high-quality senior housing. Our team is thrilled to offer Benton House of Olathe to meet the current and ongoing needs of seniors and their families for first-class assisted living and memory care.”

This is Hunt Midwest and Principal Senior Living Group’s ninth metro area Benton House community; more than double the number locations initially planned by the partnership when it entered the Kansas City senior housing market in 2011.

“The success of Benton House senior living communities has significantly outpaced our initial projections in terms of capital investment and number of locations," Reynolds said. "Our investment of $85M in senior housing development has subsequently resulted in the creation of more than 700 jobs to support the construction, management and operation of our Benton House locations.

Benton House of Olathe incorporates a variety of indoor and outdoor amenity spaces and 55 studio and one-bedroom apartment suites arranged in a figure eight around two landscaped courtyards. Also offered is the Beacon Neighborhood, an exclusive, secured area dedicated to residents in need of additional memory care services and support.

“Our award-winning team takes great pride in providing compassionate, individualized care to residents and their families,” said Kyle Diekmann, chairman of Principal Senior Living Group. “Benton House offers a variety of programs and events designed to promote an engaging, active lifestyle for our residents. We’re proud to have earned the reputation of being a wonderful place for area seniors to call home.”

Traditional architecture and interior design give Benton House of Olathe a classic, timeless look that complements the surrounding neighborhood. Elements include a neutral color palette and mix of stone, brick and stucco on the façade, lush landscaping, and signature white cupola atop a sweeping, covered front entry.

The single-story, 52,000-square-foot building is situated on 4.4-acres, allowing ample room on the site for future expansion of the Beacon Neighborhood with minimal impact to residents living at Benton House or nearby.

Hunt Midwest and Principal Senior Living Group currently own and operate a portfolio of six Benton House locations that include Benton House of Olathe, Benton House of Staley Hills, Benton House of Lenexa, Benton of Tiffany Springs, Benton House of Raymore and Benton House of Blue Springs. Previously owned locations include Benton House of Shoal Creek, Benton House of Lee’s Summit and Benton House of Prairie Village.

The company’s Benton House assisted living facilities serve seniors who don’t want or need a nursing home, but who are weary of home upkeep, in need of a little personal assistance or simply desire to have more interaction with others. The company currently owns/operates 25 Benton House assisted living and Alzheimer’s/memory care service centers.

Hunt Midwest senior housing expands into Florida, Tennessee

Hunt Midwest is extending its senior housing reach outside the Kansas City region, announcing plans to build an 84-unit assisted living and memory care community in Royal Palm Beach, Florida.

The 76,200-square foot Capstone at Royal Palm will offer residents resort-style living in a secure environment, with Mediterranean architecture and amenities such as fitness center, bistro lounge, sunroom, walking trails, gazebo and dog park.

"To continue our growth in the senior housing space, Hunt Midwest began looking at dynamic markets in the southeast to develop first-class assisted living and memory care communities," said Ora Reynolds, president and CEO of Hunt Midwest. "About that time, the Village of Royal Palm Beach recognized a desire to provide its senior population with assisted living and memory care services in quality projects or risk losing their residents to neighboring communities. The timing was ideal for us to meet that need, which led to our purchase of this highly desirable infill site..."

In addition to the Royal Palm project, Hunt Midwest has signed contracts to purchase land in the fast-growing Nashville, Tenn. suburbs of Mt. Juliet and Gallatin, with plans to develop two additional Capstone communities in that market.

Hunt Midwest has aligned with nationally recognized operating partner Integral Senior Living for the Capstone at Royal Palm. Construction will begin this fall with an opening expected in late 2019.

Lanter lifts Hunt Midwest’s 3PL footprint to more than 1 million square feet

Lanter Distributing LLC has expanded and consolidated its regional warehouse and distribution operations into a 126,000-square feet facility in Hunt Midwest SubTropolis. The Madison, Ill.-based refrigerated LTL and trucking company provides freight consolidation, distribution and deliveries to retail and wholesale customers throughout the Midwest and southern half of the U.S.

“Time and again, companies from a wide range of industries - including third party logistics, animal health and automotive upfitters - perform their due diligence and ultimately choose SubTropolis for its location, efficiency, and value proposition,” said Hunt Midwest President and CEO Ora Reynolds.

Lanter’s expansion brings Hunt Midwest’s total logistics footprint to well over one million square feet, with a total of eight 3PL companies operating in either SubTropolis or Hunt Midwest Business Center, according to Mike Bell, Hunt Midwest vice president of commercial development.

“We are seeing a ‘cluster effect’ of 3PL companies in SubTropolis and our surface business park, Hunt Midwest Business Center,” Bell said. “These companies are looking for access to labor and logistics to fuel their growth.”

Additional 3PL tenants include Advanced Logistics Fulfillment (ALF), American Central Transport (ACT), FW Warehousing, Ground Freight Expeditors, Hallmark Cards, Paris Brothers, and Rossi Motor Freight.

“The ability to quickly and easily scale operations is often top-of-mind for growing companies, and we are able to deliver space in SubTropolis in a timely manner because there are no weather delays or lengthy permitting processes,” Bell added.

Lanter initially leased 21,000 square feet in SubTropolis for dry and refrigerated warehouse and distribution space in 2012. According to Lanter Distributing Vice President Ryan Behrmann, SubTropolis is ideally suited to the company’s requirement for dry and refrigerated storage facilities.

“The customized space, combined with the central location, enables Lanter to continue to provide customers with an industry-leading, cost-efficient, multi-temperature logistics solution while offering on-time deliveries and exceptional service,” Behrmann said. “We look forward to continuing our relationship with Hunt Midwest and growing our business within SubTropolis.”

KC developers and brokers weigh in after KC voters clear #NewKCI for takeoff

Kansas City, Missouri voters overwhelmingly approved public financing for a new $1 billion single-terminal design for KCI. Local development leaders mounted a warrior-like effort to build the case for a new airport over the past month, educating voters about funding and regional business benefits.

Here’s what some of the region’s leading brokers and developers are saying about the vote:

"The new airport should be a big benefit to Kansas City in terms of business development in tourism. Right now connecting airlines are simply avoiding Kansas City, but in the future Kansas City will see increased connections and increased air traffic, and this will be great for new businesses that want to locate in our community." Ken Block, Managing Principal, Block Real Estate Services LLC

“The new KCI terminal is a very important step to for our metropolitan area to continue to compete and bring new business to the region.” –Mike Klamm, Managing Director, CBRE

“A new airport will put us in a position to achieve better connections to other major cities. That’s a must if we expect to attract and sustain Fortune 1000 companies.” –Owen Buckley, President, LANE4 Property Group, Inc.

"KCI airport is Kansas City’s 'front door' for both new companies considering a relocation or expansion of their operations. The convenience of direct flights to more destinations will result in more companies locating their central or regional distribution facilities in Kansas City.” -Ora Reynolds, President and CEO, Hunt Midwest

“The city government, civic and business communities put the time in to explain the importance of the vote, and the public responded.” -Jon Copaken, Principal, Copaken Brooks

“I am impressed by the effort of our Kansas City civic leaders. (This is similar to) bi-state or streetcar or other major big momentum changers, but this one is more important. Very big day for KC.” -Mark Long, Executive Managing Director/Principal, Newmark Grubb Zimmer

“This is a great day for the entire Kansas City metro area. The promise of a new KCI will have an immediate effect on our entire community, as we continue our steady ascent up the nationwide ladder of ‘best places to live and work’. Way to go KCMO voters!” -Nathan Anderson, NAI Heartland

“The new single terminal promises to usher in a wide array of new opportunities for the entire region. I’m excited for what that means for our city’s ability to grow and attract new businesses to the area.” –Russell Pearson, NAI Heartland

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.