OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The owner and developer of the long-delayed Metcalf Crossing redevelopment project welcomed the community to a meeting Tuesday night to answer questions from residents.
The property, which is located at the northeast corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Marty Lane, previously housed two hotels, including a Ramada Inn, but has sat vacant since late 2017.
Sky Real Estate announced its initial $39 million redevelopment plan in June 2018, and finally closed on the property last October.
There have been challenges since then, mostly due to the condition of the concrete structure that housed the Ramada Inn.
"There's significant levels of asbestos just because it's such an old building on the site," Korb Maxwell, an attorney representing Sky Real Estate, said. "It's found in the popcorn ceilings and the tiling."
Sky Real Estate told the crowd it will ask the city for a 60-day extension on its demolition with an end date of Nov. 30. The development is slated to open by the end of 2020.
[GALLERY: Take a look inside Metcalf Crossing demolition]
The company's current plan for the property includes a storage facility, car wash and an office/retail building.
"Give them the go ahead," Leo Boehm, who owns a house near the site, said after listening to the presentation at the Matt Ross Community Center.
His wife agreed.
"Everybody needs storage," she said.
Others who attended are less than thrilled with a car wash and storage facility serving as a gateway to the city.
"It's not very creative and innovative for visitors," nearby resident Debbie Froelich said.
A car wash wasn't the original plan. Sky Real Estate originally pitched a new hotel for the site but scrapped the idea after it couldn't find a major brand willing to bite.
"None of those had interest in ultimately using the site, because they were either going on other developments across the city and/or some of the softening in the hotel market that has occurred in the past several years," Maxwell said.
However, the company was approached by five different car washes interested in opening at Metcalf Crossing.
Sky Real Estate chose Charlie's Car Wash because of its "high quality" and a belief it will "do the best in the location for the longest period of time."
There is still one piece missing in the puzzle.
Sky Real Estate has yet to find tenants for the office/retail building planned for the site. That part of the project will not be built until tenants are secured.
"Everything's being done that could possibly be done," Maxwell said of the developer's efforts.
The development agreement requires Sky Real Estate to maintain that piece of the property as a green space unless and until the office/retail space is built.
