Village at View High vision comes into focus with multifamily site prep

Site preparation and infrastructure construction officially is underway for Meridian at View High, a 312-unit luxury apartment community planned for the northeast corner of 3rd Street and View High Drive within Lee's Summit's Village at View High mixed-use development.

"Over the next few months, construction crews will build sewers, roads, and a retention pond on the development site. It is exciting to see this important first piece of Village at View High begin to take shape," said John Bondon, president of Parrot Properties LLC, master developer of the Village at View High.

Parrot Properties chose Indianapolis-based Cityscape Residential to develop Meridian at View High's 18 buildings, with vertical construction expected to begin in early 2018 and units available for lease by the spring of 2019. 

"The partners of Cityscape Residential have seen the attractiveness of investing in Lee's Summit since making our first luxury apartment investment in the city over 15 years ago," said Jim Thomas, Cityscape Residential partner. "High quality of life, excellent schools, proximity to good jobs, and thoughtful local leadership have all led Cityscape to make Lee's Summit a significant part of our $250 million investment in the Kansas City metro area."

When completed, the 74-acre multifamily project will feature walkability, high-end retail and a true "live-work-play" lifestyle desired by Millennials and empty nesters alike, according to a release.

Village at View High is located in the heart of Lee's Summit's View High corridor on the city's west side and overlooks the Fred Arbanas Golf Course in Longview Lake Park, a 4,800+-acre green space with plentiful outdoor recreational opportunities. 

"It is rewarding to see dirt moving on Meridian at View High, as it is a critical 'domino' for the overall Village at View High project," said Rick McDowell, president of the Lee's Summit Economic Development Council. "A high-quality, plentiful, and diversified housing stock is central to our mission of promoting Lee's Summit as a model community for economic innovation and growth."

KC land transfer plan offers key piece for Paragon Star development, infrastructure

The Paragon Star development team is hopeful Kansas City leaders will see a 96-acre annexation request from the City of Lee’s Summit as a win-win for both cities.

The undeveloped land sits on the north side of Paragon Star’s sprawling development area and would provide the final piece of land required for an $8 million extension of View High Road connecting Bannister Road to I-470.  

“A parkway with a similar route has been on the city’s master transportation plan since the 1970’s, and city staff believes this would be a good way to get the road built. We think it's a win-win for both communities,” said Bill Brown, Paragon Star principal. “There’s not a lot of development on that land right now, so it isn’t producing significant tax revenue. However, the creation of a new regional trafficway would stimulate new development in both Lee's Summit and Kansas City.”

A newly created regional Transportation Development District would fully fund planning and construction of the new road adjacent to the future $220 million youth sports complex and entertainment destination just north of I-470 along View High Drive. At full buildout, Paragon Star will include sports fields, restaurants, retail, a hotel, residential, and office buildings.

Under the proposal, Kansas City would "detach" the 96 acres and Lee's Summit would annex the land. The new parkway and additional sports fields and other recreation opportunities envisioned on the 96 acres creates a strong value proposition, according to Brown. 

"The KCMO Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval of the plan to the KCMO City Council, and we're hopeful that the Council will agree with the recommendation," Brown said. "Otherwise, I don't see the parkway and the associated development occurring anytime in the near future, and that would be unfortunate.”

A decision should come in mid-December.

Tuscan design makes a comeback in new Barsto multifamily project

Barsto Construction officially broke ground on The Villas at Ridgeview Falls, a 237-unit luxury apartment complex on the northeast corner of 119th Street and South Ridgeview Road in Olathe.

Developed by J.A. Murphy Group based in Knoxville, Tenn., The Villas at Ridgeview Falls was designed by NSPJ Architects P.A. and will typify a highly detailed, large scale Tuscan Villa through traditional design elements. 

NSPJ brought the vision to life yet maintained "human scale" by using materials true to the original vernacular, according to a release. Visitors will be greeted by lush landscaping at the main entrance, with a single-story club/amenity center just off the main drive for easy access. The rooflines will be sloped to create the sense of a single-family home entrance, opening into a large courtyard that serves as the development's centerpiece.

Additional community amenities include private grilling areas, center pavilion, resort-style pool, fire pit, and fitness trail. Apartments will include large floorplans with luxury finishes, 9-to-10-foot tall ceilings, and 8-foot tall doors. 

Site preparation is underway with plans to go vertical in the first quarter of 2018 and the first units ready for occupancy in the fall. 

This is the third project for the team of Barsto Construction and J.A. Murphy Group, which recently completed the $32 million Metcalf Village Apartments at 162nd Street and Metcalf Avenue.

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