Klover Architects to relocate to The District at City Center Lenexa

Klover Architects, the firm behind the design of The District and the master plan of City Center Lenexa, will be relocating from 10955 Lowell in Overland Park to The District at City Center Lenexa this November.

Copaken Brooks announced Klover will lease 7,261 SF of the Penn III building.

“We’re very pleased to have Klover locate its headquarters in a signature development that they designed. This location in City Center Lenexa will certainly give them a competitive advantage to recruit and retain the best and brightest talent,” said Ryan Biery, senior vice president at Copaken Brooks.

The District at City Center Lenexa is located in the urban-suburban destination where retail, corporate, residential, civic and recreational interest have come together to create an experience unlike any other in the region.

“We’ve overseen The District’s design process, from preliminary city planning renderings through construction administration, and we couldn’t be more pleased with how it’s come to life,” said Henry Klover, founding principal and president of Klover.

When fully developed, City Center Lenexa will consist of more than 2 million SF, including civic components for the City of Lenexa, nearly 1 million SF of office and retail space and 375 residential units.

“It’s incredible what can be done when the industry’s best professionals unite to advance a shared vision for the community, and we’re thrilled to soon call this up-and-coming mixed-use development home,” said Klover.

Founded in 1990 by Henry Klover and Danny Potts, Klover is a full-service design firm specializing in retail, mixed-use, office, restaurant and hospitality markets. Registered in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Klover prides itself on providing innovative design solutions for the real world.

California developer plans 1M SF business park in Lee’s Summit

On March 31, the Lee’s Summit City Council will deliver its decision on whether to hand over the lead development role for an 85-acre tract of land to California-based Westcott Investment Group. The developer is planning a 1 million-square-foot business park, consisting of commercial office, warehouse, and light manufacturing space. If all goes as planned, Westcott would commence construction on the first phase of 200,000 square feet by the summer of 2017.

Last week, Westcott asked the Lee’s Summit City Council to approve the assignment of development rights granted to Exergonic LLC in 2011 through a public/private partnership development agreement. The City Council voted to direct staff to draft the documents necessary for the assignment to Westcott to take place; That assignment heads back to City Council on March 31 for approval.

Westcott is associated with Diede Construction Inc., a firm with 15 million square feet under management. The local team for Westcott includes Aaron March with White Goss, Daren Fristoe, Jon Plaas, Danny Potts of Klover Architects, and Ryan Elam of BHC Rhodes.

Westcott CEO Steve Singh said Lee’s Summit is a perfect development fit for his firm.

“Approximately two years ago, Westcott began the due diligence process on a potential site for a development in Lee’s Summit. We were drawn to the area by the city’s core strengths of premier health care, schools, parks, historic downtown and the need for additional locally-based employers,” Singh said. “Through our discussions with Exergonix, we determined this specific location as the optimum starting point to deliver the first step in an expansive mixed-use development, ultimately resulting in the creation of new jobs. With our proven development track record, we look forward to partnering with the City of Lee’s Summit and bringing The Grove at Lee’s Summit to fruition.”