Curtin Property Company

No hurdle too high for KC'S transformative mixed-use developments

“Doing any development today is really hard. Challenges on construction costs, challenges on financing. Doing mixed-use is a whole other level of hard,” said Michael VanBuskirk, SIOR, CCIM, CRE, vice chairman and principal at Newmark Zimmer.

Yet, several substantially sized and transformative mixed-use projects are underway across the Kansas City market.

VanBuskirk was joined by panelists Brandon Brensing, VP of real estate development at Ryan Companies US, Inc.; Grant Curtin, principal and VP at Curtin Property Company; Dan Horn, development manager at IAS Partners, Ltd.; Holly Rome, EVP, national retail leasing at JLL; and Scott Rosemann, P.E., F.SEI, LEED AP, COO at Rosemann & Associates, P.C. at MetroWire Media Kansas City’s Mixed-Use Masterpieces program last week. Erin Rosenthal, P.E., president at PMA Engineering, moderated.

The panelists discussed some of the current area projects as well as the challenges and insights for creating successful and visionary mixed-use projects.

Above: MWM KC Mixed-Use Masterpieces panelists (L to R): Holly Rome of JLL, Brandon Brensing of Ryan Companies US Inc., and Scott Rosemann of Rosemann & Associates P.C. discuss the challenges and timelines for mixed-use developments in KC. Photo credit: Jacia Phillips | Arch Photo KC

One of those projects is Bluhawk, a 277-acre mixed-use project in south Overland Park, Kansas, a large portion of which already is completed. The project includes 380 residential units, AdventHealth South Overland Park Hospital, office and retail. A 420,000 SF sports complex will open later this year.

Another is Discovery Park in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, a 268-acre project.

“We’ve taken the live, work, play and we’ve added stay in there. We’ve got two hotels in our first phase . . . and then medical office was a piece of it because we looked at how close we were to all the regional hospitals, and Lee’s Summit is a medical hub. And then the entertainment piece. . . . We looked at the opportunity to make this a regional destination,” said VanBuskirk.

While Bluhawk and Discovery Park are creating new developments where there were none, some major adaptive reuse and redevelopment projects also are underway.

One is the redevelopment of the former site of the Metro North Mall in the Northland, which is a 106-acre mixed-use development called Metro North Crossing.

“For mall redevelopments in particular, in our experience, the thing we’ve had going for us from day one at Metro North is although the mall became obsolete, the real estate that it sat on is still awesome.  We are right at the corner of two highways—169 and 152—right in the middle of the Northland,” said Horn.

Another project in Overland Park is the redevelopment of the Brookridge Golf Course, a 200-acre site being developed by Curtin Property Company. According to Curtain, the project, called Meridian, will feature 2,000 units of multifamily, two million SF of office, retail, food and beverage, entertainment, several hotels and green space. Once completed, the project will retain 18 holes of golf and have a health and wellness focus.

Above: MWM KC attendees enjoy breakfast and coffee while listening in on the panel discussion moderated by Erin Rosenthal of PMA Engineering. Photo credit: Jacia Phillips | Arch Photo KC

Mixed-use projects help to satisfy housing demand, which remains high, Brensing said.

“Kansas City has fared fairly well when it comes to rents, absorption, vacancies and those kinds of standpoints. We’ve seen about a 2.9 percent year over year rent increase. With a limited amount of supply coming onboard, we expect that number to increase through the remainder of the year and potentially into 2025.. . . And we’re going to continue to see a lot of growth not only in class A, but also the class B multifamily,” said Brensing.

VanBuskirk said Kansas City’s retail market is very strong. And although office vacancy in Kansas City is pushing 18 percent, office is doing well in mixed-use projects, he said.

“As we do these projects, we incorporate office into it as a very important critical component to have success,” said VanBuskirk.

The panelists discussed the importance of placemaking in mixed-use projects.

“What it does is it creates an authenticity. It creates a connection to the community. And, it creates a vibrancy in the development. And it’s not just one thing that makes that place that you want to go to. It’s everything that’s put together. It’s the architecture. It’s the landscaping. It’s what retailers you put in there. . . . So, it’s very purposeful and intentional,” Rome said.

“Placemaking is huge. There’s no doubt about it. And the thing that we caution all our developers is placemaking happens, whether you mean for it to or not. Every development is making your place whether you know it or not,” Rosemann said.

According to Horn, another critical element to the success of a mixed-use project is understanding up front what the specific community in which a developer is putting a project wants and what the community is missing.

“Every trade area in Kansas City is a little bit different,” Horn said.

“Talk with your city officials. Understand what they are looking for,” said Brensing.

Above (L to R): Deb Blaylock, Karen Saper and Jason Osborne network at MWM KC’s Mixed-Use event. Photo credit: Jacia Phillips | Arch Photo KC

Mixed-use projects present financing challenges, and although lenders and financing sources are less leery of these projects than they once were, many mixed-use projects would not happen without including a public private partnership component, Curtain said.

“It’s really difficult to make financial sense without the public’s side of investment in the project, whether it be property tax abatement or sales tax incentives and things of that nature,” said Horn.

According to Rosemann, it is important to include current architecture and design trends in mixed-use projects because that’s what tenants and shoppers expect. Design trends today include pet-friendly amenities and places on site to create an “Instagram moment.”

Rosemann also said being nimble and flexible in designing mixed-use spaces is crucial.

“If there’s one thing COVID and everybody being forced to go home taught us, it is that we end up using our spaces in the life of a building in ways that we really, really can’t envision now. So how do we give some thought to a space that can be used multiple ways, whether that’s today or five or 10 years from now,” he said.

“We’re really getting creative with these developments to get people to work there, live there, play there,” Rosenthal said.

Kansas City’s mixed-use market is faring well.

“I would say the fact that we have everyone here at the table talking about the size of the projects we’re talking about tells you how Kansas City is doing. And, that’s very well,” said VanBuskirk.

____________________________

Feature photo credit: Jacia Phillips | Arch Photo KC

View the complete event photo album by Arch Photo KC here

Overland Park receives nation’s first LEED zero energy commercial project

In a collaboration between U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) president and CEO Mahesh Ramanujam, and Brookridge developer Chris Curtin, a first-of-its-kind Memorandum of Understanding has been signed, forging a partnership that will create an ongoing process to achieve LEED and LEED Zero Energy certifications for Brookridge Development in Overland Park.

Brookridge, a cross-generational 200+-acre mixed-use development, will feature nearly 2 million SF of office capacity, high-quality urban living spaces, extensive retail, restaurant and entertainment venues.

It will also spotlight a multi-faceted focus on health and wellness, including approximately 50 percent green space, fountains, recreational golf, fitness facilities, miles of walking paths, connections hike/bike trails and both forested and open lawns.   

Brookridge will tap into the abundant supply of wind and solar sourced energy produced in the State of Kansas to address the goal of significantly reducing the carbon footprint of the project.

In recognition of the unique nature of this partnership and its focus on wind and solar generated energy, the State of Kansas has also joined the effort.

Last week, Kansas Secretary of Commerce David Toland co-signed the Brookridge Renewable Energy Initiative, placing the state at the forefront of sustainable development.

“The Brookridge development, with the support of the State of Kansas, is thinking differently in terms of how our spaces can be designed to support environmental and personal health. LEED is providing the framework and their commitment to achieve LEED Zero Energy is yet another sign of their leadership and drive to create a better world,” Ramanujam said.

Chuck Caisley, KCP&L (Evergy) senior vice president and chief customer officer, also joined the State of Kansas in endorsing the Brookridge Renewable Energy Initiative.

“Kansas is different than coastal or mega-cities. Great things happen when our public and private sectors work in close partnership. We create the synergy necessary for significant environmental and joint economic success,” said Curtin, founder of Curtin Property Company.

The comprehensive Green program at the Brookridge development is also designed to work harmoniously with Overland Park’s dedicated visioning and planning efforts laid out in the initiatives of the City of Overland Park.

“The leaders of Overland Park set forth a set of ideas around a built environment that is both sustainable and visually impactful, further advancing the community’s destination for business development, entertainment, leisure and family time,” Curtin said.

 “A project of the size and scope of the Brookridge development – along with the commitment being made to it – will serve to put the State of Kansas at the forefront of sustainable development,” added Kansas Governor Laura Kelly.

Other partners involved in the project include WDG Architects - Land Planning and Architecture and GBA - Civil Engineering.