Haren Companies

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.

Waldo Ice House redevelopment helps freeze housing shortage

The history of the Waldo Ice House project dates back 100 years to when the site was home to the Kansas City Ice Company from the mid-1920s until the mid 1960s.

By 1970, Waldo Antiques operated the property until 2017. That’s when developers Diane Botwin of Botwin Real Estate and Andrew Ganahl of Linden Street Partners put plans in motion to redevelop the site with a mixed-use project. 

“My father-in-law, Jerry Raeder, has memories of going to the Kansas City Ice Company plant as a child in the mid-1940s before the family had an electric refrigerator,” said Ganahl. 

However, due to decades of neglect, redevelopment of the original historic ice house building did not pencil, and the building was demolished. Keeping in the spirit of the original structure’s use and objective, Ice House Partners LLC was formed, and the Waldo apartments became reality.

Botwin and Ganahl met as neighboring business owners in the KC Crossroads. Botwin as a 30-year local business and property owner, and Ganahl, as a regional urban infill developer, decided that multifamily housing deemed “missing middle” was needed as an alternative for people who want to live in Waldo but did not desire a single-family home. 

“We have leased 4,000 square feet of the first-floor commercial space to a local optometrist and have 800 square feet awaiting a new tenant,” said Botwin.

The project is the first new construction project Waldo has seen in many years, finally bringing housing options to the neighborhood’s constrained supply of housing,

Details of the multifamily portion include:

·      44 units, mix of studios (25%), one-bedrooms (55%) and two- bedrooms (20%); most with balconies

·      Rent starting around $1,000/month with average price of $1,250/month

·      Nationally-exhibited local artist is creating a site specific work to be installed in the apartment lobby

·      Walkable and transit—oriented; adjacent to CVS, Aldi's, Walgreen's, local restaurants and retail; plus close proximity to major transit stop at 75th and Wornall, including Main MAX bus line

The project team includes Slaggie Architects, Inc; general contractor, Haren Companies; engineers Leigh & O’Kane (structural), Smith & Boucher (MEP) and Taliaferro & Browne (civil).

A completion date is slated for summer 2021.