Hunt Midwest development team breaks ground on Downtown Overland Park mixed-use project

Construction is underway at The Vue in Downtown Overland Park, a $49 million mixed-use project that will include 219 luxury apartments above 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and an attached 324-space parking garage. Developer Hunt Midwest and project partners held an official groundbreaking ceremony adjacent to the 2.5 acre construction site at 80th and Marty streets on Tuesday, April 4.

“Hunt Midwest wanted to create an urban living concept that offers chic finishes and conveniences that ‘renters by choice’ desire, while giving special attention to the building’s exterior, ensuring the design reflects the charming character and architectural style of Downtown Overland Park,” Hunt Midwest President and CEO Ora Reynolds said.

The Vue is located within walking distance to nearby attractions including the Matt Ross Community Center, Overland Park Farmer’s Market, historic Rio Theatre and newly designated Downtown Arts District. The City of Overland Park hopes the project, which repurposes an underutilized site in a prime location, will draw hundreds of new residents and customers to existing downtown businesses.

“While in the early stages of construction, we’re already seeing interest in The Vue- from Millennials to Baby Boomers- that is adding to the community’s excitement in historic Downtown Overland Park,” Overland Park Mayor Carl Gerlach said.

Outdoor amenities will include a resort-style pool area with bar and grill, lounge seating and covered bike racks. Inside, The Vue’s clubhouse will include a fitness center, coffee lounge, game rooms and a shared kitchen - all connecting to an outdoor deck that overlooks downtown. The project’s design reflects the changing environment of apartment living, according to Rob Welker, Hoefer Wysocki Architecture president and partner.

“Residents want to feel connected to their neighbors and have the opportunity to interact and engage with each other. The Vue portrays experiences through multiple types of interactions, delivered in spaces that accommodate a wide range of needs,” Welker said.

The Vue blends Hunt Midwest’s experience in luxury multifamily development with its award-winning infill redevelopment expertise, according to Brenner Holland, Hunt Midwest vice president of residential development.

“A rewarding aspect of the project involved making sure its design fit in with the existing style and vibe of Downtown Overland Park while adding fresh and innovative features,” Holland said. “This is a high-visibility location, so we really wanted to create an eye-catching addition to the heart of the city that enhanced revitalization while bringing new residents into downtown.”

Reynolds thanked the City of Overland Park for its support of The Vue, which is expected to open in the second half of 2018. Hunt Midwest’s development team includes: McPherson Contractors, general construction; Hoefer Wysocki Architecture, architecture and design; Olsson & Associates, engineering services; Bank Midwest, financing; and Greystar, leasing and property management.

Runway Construction Cleared for Takeoff at Lee’s Summit Airport

A key runway at Lee’s Summit Municipal Airport will close in April as construction begins on the final phase of an airfield extension plan two decades in the making. The city first approved conceptual plans to extend the airport’s primary north/south runway in 1996, envisioning a corporate aircraft hub serving Eastern Jackson County that would lift Lee’s Summit’s economic profile. This September, the extended 5,500-foot long runway will finally open, paving the way for fresh economic development opportunity and expansion.

"This is an exciting time for Lee’s Summit with all of the economic development activity in the I-470 corridor near the airport. The runway extension will encourage additional investment as we accommodate more business and corporate aircraft," said Lee’s Summit Mayor Randy Rhoads. “This project continues to solidify Lee’s Summit’s ranking as a best place to live in the metropolitan area, state, and nation.”

Approximately 50,000 takeoffs and landings occur at the Lee’s Summit Airport each year, with aircraft ranging from single engine, single seat planes to midsize corporate jets. On average, about 137 takeoffs and landings take place each day for a total of about 50,000 operations a year.  After the new runway is completed, airport officials predict air traffic will increase by 30 percent.

“These flights are primarily business related, and they bring marketing, professional, technical, service and support personnel to the area. Those travelers help boost the local economy by spending money at nearby hotels, car rental agencies and restaurants,” Lee’s Summit Airport Manager John Ohrazda said. “The new runway is expected to have a significant positive impact on Lee’s Summit Airport takeoffs and landings.”

All flights will be halted for three weeks starting April 10 when work begins on the primary intersection of the airport’s two runways. Air traffic is expected to resume by May 1 when the airport’s second, shorter runway reopens. Ohrazda said city staff and planners worked hard to minimize disruptions for users and airport tenants throughout the construction process. 

“While the short-term runway closures will be an inconvenience to all, the long-term benefits of the airport improvements will result in Lee’s Summit Airport being a first-class general aviation airport of which the aviation community can be proud,” Ohrazda said.

The runway improvements will be completed less than a year after Lee’s Summit purchased the former Air Charter hangar building at 2525 N.E. Douglas St., from DeJarnette Enterprises Inc. for $1.5 million. Renamed Hangar 1, the city purchased the 40,000 square foot facility to help accommodate expected demand for additional business aircraft space.

Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council President and CEO Rick McDowell said his organization will leveragethe airport runway extension project and new hangar to help attract new investment and development. 

“The increase in aviation related activity creates a tremendous opportunity for enhanced business retention, expansion and attraction activity tied to the airport,” McDowell said. “The LSEDC plans to highlight the new hangar as an important community asset as we work to grow and attract businesses that rely on aviation.”

The runway improvements and hangar investment is expected to open up new development opportunities for Lee’s Summit, as well as surrounding communities in Eastern Jackson County and the entire Kansas City region, according to 2017 LSEDC Chairwoman Christine Bushyhead. 

“The ability to accommodate ‘based’ corporate aircraft, as well as offer additional room for overnight, transient aircraft, helps create a strong selling point for Lee’s Summit as an important gateway to the Kansas City region,” Bushyhead said.

Emery Sapp and Sons was the low bidder for the paving project, which began with phased-in airfield closures in the fall of 2016. Crawford Murphy and Tilly, Inc. is providing engineering services.

Lee's Summit Airport will be the setting-- and development in and around the airport will be a featured topic at MetroWireMedia's "This is our KC" breakfast and panel discussion from 7:30-9 am on April 11. Register for the event here and check out our panelists here. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Email Lisa@MetroWireMedia.com for more information!

Staples Lease Fills NorthPoint Spec

With a 400,000 square foot building fully leased and pads for two additional buildings under construction, NorthPoint Development sees a bright future for its newest business park in Kansas City.

Staples will lease 260,000 square feet in NorthPoint’s first speculative industrial building in Northland Park, filling most of a building that already had lease agreements with Ford supplier Delaco Steel Corp. and Pathfinder Systems Inc., a local manufacturer. Now undergoing vertical construction, it is the first of three buildings comprising phase 1 of the 240-acre business park off of MO-210.

"We think the bones of the site are really good,” said Brent Miles, NorthPoint vice president of economic development. "It was a little surprising to us that it hadn't developed faster before our involvement.”

Northland Park is finding success in an area with plenty of land, an intermodal facility and access to the nearby Ford Claycomo plant. When fully developed, the industrial park will include more than 4 million square feet of business space and is expected to employ up to 2,000 workers.

Northland Park is among several large business parks under development throughout the Kansas City region, a commercial real estate trend driven largely by consumers shifting to online shopping. Retailers like Amazon and Staples are increasingly choosing the center of the country for new, sprawling warehouse and distribution centers that can efficiently deliver products to consumers.

"You see a lot of e-commerce in Kansas City because you can get to 85 percent of the U.S. population in a two-day truck drive," said Joe Accurso, senior director at Cushman & Wakefield, the leasing firm for NorthPoint. "To have shovel-ready land that's with an excellent development group that can put together up to 4 million square feet of product within the I-435 loop is pretty special.”

With successful projects at Logistics Park Kansas City in Edgerton, Kan., and Central Industrial Park in Kansas City, Kan.’s Fairfax district, NorthPoint is among the region's most successful big box industrial developers. With the expertise of 15 engineers available to help overcome problems with tenant improvement, the developer prides itself on its ability to create spaces that fill customer needs in a timely manner.

"We have a good flow of capital, which means we can always have a spec development working -- we've always got product," Miles said. "You can't lease a building anymore unless they see something coming out of the ground."

New $60 Million Village South Development Breaks Ground in Edwardsville

Construction is underway at the 32-acre Village South Development in Edwardsville, Kan., a mixed-use project that will include a Holiday Inn and a LaQuinta hotel with a total of 181 rooms, plus 22,000 square feet of conference space and a 17,000-square-foot restaurant.

Emery Sapp & Sons is building infrastructure for the first phase of the project, and Lane 4 Property Group is assisting developer Minnesota-based Compass Commodity Group III with construction management.

“We are excited about building the infrastructure to support this project and the economic development potential it brings to Edwardsville and Wyandotte County,” said Tim Paulson, vice president of Emery Sapp & Sons. ESS will handle all excavation, storm water and sanitary sewer installation, curb and gutter work, as well as street lighting, signage, and landscape.

Located on the southeast corner of 110th Street and I-70, just south of Village West, Village South will have six additional pad sites available, which should enhance development in the area, according to Lane 4 Partner Hunter Harris.

"(Lack of) infrastructure has been the main reason development hasn’t occurred more quickly," Harris said. “Working with Emery Sapp & Sons to complete this process will allow companies to take advantage of these ‘pad-ready’ sites.”

The City of Edwardsville sees a significant economic boost resulting from the project, with projected visitor spending of more than $8 million a year, according to Edwardsville City Manager Michael Webb.

“The potential for more job opportunities for residents and home sales in our area is very welcome,” Webb said.

An official groundbreaking ceremony took place March 22. Additional members of the development team include: BHC Rhodes, development plan services and project engineer; Lamont Companies, hospitality developer; Base4 Architects and Engineers, design partner; and Polsinelli PC, legal counsel.

Industry Insight: GBA brings UAS to new CRE heights

The unmanned aerial systems (UAS) industry suffers from an identity crisis. The term drone and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) often are used interchangeably. As the technology matures, however, it is more accurate to consider the integration of the pilot, controls, vehicle, sensors and the processing of the data as a system.  As a pioneer in this technology, GBA is utilizing an innovative approach for the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

Beyond dull, dirty or dangerous

Peter W. Singer characterized UAS as appropriate for dull, dirty or dangerous missions. From an engineering standpoint, a UAS fulfills those purposes and more as they become part of the tool set in engineering.

In August of 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration introduced rules to acquire a remote pilot certification for commercial operations. Soon after, GBA conducted training for employees interested in operating Unmanned Aerial Systems to enhance their technical abilities on projects. The training focused on safe operations and guidance to follow FAA regulations. All participants passed the test and obtained certifications to operate UAVs. An intensive hands-on flight instruction program is now being conducted on a regular basis to GBA employees and others who plan to seek certification to fly UASs.

GBA has been providing innovative engineering and architectural solutions since 1969. GBA serves several market sectors including transportation, water environment, buildings, site development, commissioning, systems integration and construction management. When it comes to UAS use in engineering, the future is already here.    

Line of Sight Project

Sara Peters, P.E., a civil engineer, working on a line of sight project was the first of our certified employees to engineer/remote pilot a UAS in the field following our training. A line of sight study normally requires the coordination of bucket trucks and tower climbers. By deploying the UAS it significantly reduced risk and added value to the process.

“We shortened the field investigation time by half and were able to report our findings in a more direct, clear manner supported by pictures and video. As a remote pilot, I not only have a full understanding of the technology and regulations, but I can deliver a rapid response to our clients," Peters said. 

Bridge Deck Delamination

Sean Baxter, E.I.T. /remote pilot, is part of the bridge inspection team. In his role, he is looking for deck delamination, which occurs when the surface concrete begins to separate from the base structure. The typical method for detecting delamination is chain dragging. The chain creates a hollow sound where delamination exists. Repairing delamination early saves money, but shutting down a roadway lane for inspectors to conduct chain dragging slows traffic and creates a safety issue for workers.

A UAS with an infrared sensor can spot delamination from the air. The aerial images can be downloaded into AutoCAD or MicroStation to produce “to-scale” repair plans. The UAS output allows for precise drawings to be produced.

“I don’t have to stand in traffic putting myself and drivers in danger. Traffic continues to flow and the results are easy to explain to our clients,” Baxter said. 

Land Surveys for Real Estate

Justin Oakley, survey crew chief/remote pilot, conducts land surveys and facility mapping. This is a time-consuming process that often includes methodical tasks, like counting parking spaces or measuring distances and angles between designated points.

To support a real estate transaction for a large shopping center in Independence, Mo., an ALTA survey was needed quickly to meet a tight closing schedule. The size of the site and amount of detailed field information required made it challenging for a traditional field crew to complete the survey on time.

Using the high quality camera to shoot overlapping images, GBA’s UAS team captured the field data and then used UAS software to complete a high-resolution, highly accurate ALTA survey.

Combining its UAS technology with office staff expertise, GBA produced a survey that contained more accurate, more complete information along with a high resolution low altitude aerial image, completed within the compressed schedule.

UAS is fully integrated into GBA’s overall practice. The firm regularly tests UAS technology side-by-side with the standard methodology to determine new applications that might create efficiencies and deliver superior results. GBA will remain at the forefront of the industry, continuing to explore new ways to use UASs while delivering access to ever-more-innovative possibilities to our clients.

GBA has been providing innovative engineering and architectural solutions since 1969, serving several market sectors including transportation, water environment, buildings, site development, commissioning, systems integration and construction management.