KANSAS CITY, Kansas. (KCTV) – A developer plans to transform the former Indian Springs Mall site into residential space, a grocery store, a gym and more, while people working nearby continue to eye the 49-acre vacant land.

Eastside Innovation leaders present their proposal to build on the land to the Unified Government of Wyandotte County Council of Commissioners at 7 p.m. Thursday.

According to the proposal filethe new development would include:

• Low-rise residential (1,475 apartments)
• Retail services (280,910 square feet)
• Food/drink
• Fitness center
• Grocery store (18,085 square feet)
• Daycare Operations
• Innovation Center (31,800 square feet)
• Hotel Palais des Congrès (168 rooms)
• 2,900 structured parking spaces
• 250 street parking spaces
• 63 accommodations
• 150 townhouses

Hank Chamberlain works on State Avenue, about a mile from the site, and hopes something will happen soon.

“I am 79 years old. My goals are all short term,” he said.

It’s been eight years since the mall was demolished, leaving behind patches of brush, grass and gravel on the side of I-70.

Chamberlain believes the development in the western part of the county is a sign that ambitious goals can lead to high rewards in the Midtown area of ​​Kansas City, Kansas.

The proposal called for changing the name from “Indian Springs Mall” to “Midtown Station.”

“Everyone said the West County development wouldn’t work, all these grandiose ideas wouldn’t work, the star bond projects wouldn’t work. And today, they make up a large part of the tax base that supports the rest of the county,” he said. “You will find that a significant development here will have a significant impact.”

David Johnston, UG County Administrator said Eastside Innovation’s initial proposal focused primarily on industrial development with some housing options. They didn’t want that, but instead wanted to focus on what he called “catalytic development” that would emphasize the importance of additional development within a surrounding half-mile radius.

“You have an area that is the heart of economic activity that will hopefully attract other economic interests and housing opportunities that will come with that,” Johnston said.

They allowed East side innovation try again with their notes and they were surprised by their new proposal.

“The tender review committee rightly said it did what it was supposed to do. Now we’re taking the next step: he’s got this concept, we’re now negotiating a development deal,” Johnston said.

LEARN MORE: Indian Springs Mall to get major facelift

Preston Green is the chief estimator at Heartland Traffic Services, across the street from the site, and he also hopes something will be built sooner rather than later.

“There’s development going on all over the city, and I think it’s inevitable that a good space like this, convenient to the highway, is an area that is a desert in some places and could require investment,” Green said.

Like other redevelopment projects, they are in the early stages of discussions between developers and county leaders. So for now, the gravel remains.

“It’s hard to see the huge hole that’s been there for several years, but it just takes having the right plan and the right person to make it something really special that the community loves,” Green said.

Chamberlain said: “There are things that inevitably happen. I hope that doesn’t happen this time and I hope we don’t have an avoidable delay.

“Midtown Station is built to empower and inspire: a place where residents, businesses and visitors thrive together in an ecosystem that supports connection, growth and a greener future. We are here to create a vibrant, inclusive community that honors the spirit of the city while paving the way for a forward-thinking and sustainable future,” said Erik Murray, Eastside Innovation Developer. “As someone who grew up in KCK and remembers this mall’s heyday in the 1980s, and having witnessed the decline and disinvestment in recent decades, it brings me great pride to be able to carry out a historic project that will make our entire Dotte community proud! »

“Midtown Station embodies all the work we have done over the past twenty years to bring sustainable, walkable urban living into the mainstream consciousness of developers and communities,” said co-developer Jonathon Arnold. “People simply want vibrant places to live, work and play within a 15-minute walk of their homes, and that’s exactly what we’re offering them here.”

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