A two-acre surplus plot located at 6115 Nieman Rd. will soon be transformed into a thriving live/work development in downtown Shawnee, Kan., thanks to a recent 6-0 vote by the Shawnee City Council.
The council unanimously approved the sale and transfer of the property, known to locals as the "Nieman Catalyst Site," to Box Real Estate Development (BoxDevCo) for a purchase price of $144,000.
The site has served as home base for the construction crews' equipment and storage during the Nieman Rd. improvements, which are scheduled to be complete this summer.
Inspiration for the BoxDevCo live/work concept - named Blume - was taken from Shawnee's sister city in Erfurt, Germany. The project includes twelve 3-story buildings with residential units on the top two floors and commercial/workspace on the first floor, complete with parking garages on the back side of the first-floor workspaces.
"What’s interesting about the Nieman Catalyst project is that while we may refer to it as “live/work,” it doesn’t technically meet that description from a code perspective since each unit can be occupied by different users. If you really break it down, this is a series of vertical townhomes/condos that happen to share party walls – similar to how downtown ‘Main Street’ buildings were originally constructed," said BoxDevCo partner, Russell Pearson, CCIM.
The mixed-use buildings will be available for lease (individual units) or lease-to-own (3-story buildings) and will offer two style options to choose from.
Style A includes approximately 1,000 SF on the main level (half workspace and half garage) located directly below a +\- 2,000 SF, two-story residential loft available in two and three bedroom variations with two full bathrooms.
Style B includes approximately 1,400 SF on the main level with two, 1,200 SF single-story residential flats with balconies, one or two bedrooms and two full bathrooms.
"This project allows small business owners to work from home with a real place to meet customers and clients, that isn’t their messy basement, and have flexibility to collect rental income from the spaces they don’t occupy personally, all for roughly the same cost per square foot as building a new home. The design is European-inspired with a fresh/clean contemporary vibe and has features tailored specifically to midwestern climate, traffic patterns and living styles," Pearson said.
The work space leases will range from $1,000 to $1,400 per month; residential lofts will be between $2,200 to $3,000 per month; and estimated lease-to-purchase rates for the lofts will start at the low $600,000s up to the high $700,000s.
The project is also eligible to receive tax incentives from the federal Opportunity Zones program.
"The City of Shawnee’s forward-thinking approach to the revitalization of their historic downtown is commendable and this project is an example of what can happen when cities challenge the development community to think outside the box," Pearson said.
Named partners on the development to date include McClure and Clockwork Architecture + Design. The groundbreaking date is estimated for January 2021.