Metro North Crossing Apartments begins construction, sets fall 2021 opening

Vertical construction began this week on the $60 million Metro North Crossing Apartments at the intersection of Highway 169 and NW Barry Road in Kansas City, Mo.

The redevelopment of the former Metro North Mall site includes 249 luxury one and two-bedroom apartments nestled into a community of 36 two-story townhomes; and 30,000 SF of retail, office and restaurant space.

General contractor, MW Builders and architecture firm, Rosemann & Associates, have joined forces to bring an impressive array of amenities for the apartments, including a large resort-style swimming pool with multiple outdoor lanais, equipped with an outdoor grilling kitchen and comfortable seating.

The outdoor space also features a large clubhouse for private parties and events, pickleball courts and a walking trail. Other amenities include a designated off-leash area for pets, a private exercise facility and covered garage parking.

From the onset of the redevelopment, the development team envisioned a “Main Street Village” concept for this area of the project, with walkable shops, restaurants and outdoor gathering areas. The ground level retail and office aspect of the townhome building is the initial step in the realization of this vision, according to the developer.

The announcement comes on the heels of the anticipated September grand opening of T-Shotz, a three-story, next-generation golf and entertainment complex featuring 66 climate-controlled hitting bays with state-of-the-art technology.

“It’s exciting to see different phases of our project come to life. With T-Shotz opening soon and the apartments underway, we feel like we’ve got some great momentum going,” said Dan Horn, project manager for the Metro North Crossing redevelopment.

T-Shotz guests can enjoy playing beginner-level games in the bays and virtual replicas of world-famous golf courses. Other amenities include a sports bar, an upper level restaurant with an elevated menu and multiple event spaces for private and corporate events.

T-Shotz is on track for an early September grand opening. The retail space and apartments are anticipated to be ready for occupancy in the Fall of 2021.

Read related October 2019 MWM article: Construction underway at Metro North Crossings' T-Shots

Urban Outfitters brings jobs, economic stability to Kansas City heartland

The lure of centralized transportation, deep talent pool and strong partnerships proved lucrative to Urban Outfitters (UO) in their recent selection of Kansas City, Kan. as the new home for an 880,000-SF, omni-channel distribution center, which will be located on ancillary land at Kansas Speedway.

The partnership between the State of Kansas and Philadelphia-based URBN will create up to 2,000 new jobs and invest approximately $350 million in Kansas over the next several years.

The Department of Commerce worked closely with KC SmartPort, the Kansas City Area Development Council (KCADC), the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County in attracting UO to the KC region.

“This was a true collaboration to generate an economic development success story that will deliver benefits in Wyandotte County and beyond in our state,” said Governor Laura Kelly.

URBN cited Kansas’ central location, transportation infrastructure and skilled workforce as key factors in choosing Kansas for its distribution operation, acknowledging the location as critical to its distribution network.

“Our region is strategically positioned in America’s heartland as a major transportation hub, so this decision makes all the sense in the world. This partnership will bring thousands of jobs and much needed investments to our community, and in turn benefit our entire state. I look forward to working with Urban Outfitters to ensure it is a smooth transition,” said Kansas Representative Sharice Davids.

"We are impressed with their culture and desire to work with the community to address community issues like transit, childcare, a local hiring goal, good wages and using local, minority and women-owned companies in the construction of their facility.

The investment and number of jobs are impressive, but the long term opportunities for growth with a company like Urban Outfitters is even more impressive. (We are) appreciative to the State of Kansas, Unified Government, Kansas Speedway, BPU and Hillwood Properties to bring this to fruition,” said Greg Kindle, president of the Wyandotte County Economic Development Council.

About UO: Urban Outfitters is a lifestyle retailer dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding. Founded in 1970 in a small space across the street from the University of Pennsylvania, Urban Outfitters now operates over 200 stores in the United States, Canada and Europe.

Lenexa moves forward with sizable residential development

On Monday, the Lenexa Planning Commission approved a sizable portion of a residential development that will be located at the southwest corner of Monticello Rd. and 90th St. in the heart of Lenexa, Kan.

The planning commission unanimously recommended approval of eight out of nine items of the development, including a concept plan for the site; a preliminary plan for the Copper Creek Apartments and Townhomes on the north end; and rezoning required for nearly all components of the project.

The commission voted 8-1 to recommend approval of rezoning for the high-rise apartments.

Located on 187 acres, the proposed Watercrest South and Copper Creek project totals 1,239 housing units.

The project includes preliminary plans for 44 townhomes in seven buildings, 688 multifamily apartments in 14 buildings and 257 lots for single-family homes.

Conceptual plans were approved for the mix of a 100-unit multifamily apartment, 150 senior living units and 187,000 SF of commercial space to potentially include two hotels.

Because of the recent decline in demand for office space, previously included office space plans were removed from the city’s future land use map and replaced with additional single-family homes to the west of Watercrest Landing North.

The project also hinges on completion of Woodsonia Dr., which will run north and south through the area. City staff proposed completing the new street in one phase in conjunction with early phases of the private development, owned by Q.C. Development, P & L Development LLC. and Watercrest South LLC.

The next Lenexa City Council meeting will be held August 18, 2020, where they will continue to discuss other components of the development.