wyandotteCounty Progress 2014

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Progress 2014 3

Not unlike Kansas’ native tallgrasses, the two new towers of Cerner’s Continuous Campus have risen above the prairie near the intersection of

Interstate 70 and Interstate 435. The buildings are designed to reflect

their surroundings and blend in with the traditional Kansas landscape, said architect Tony Rohr, national managing principal for Gould Evans.

The main facades and design elements of the buildings are oriented so they can be viewed by passersby in cars, Rohr says—not the NASCAR drivers on the nearby Kansas Speedway, but those on the highway or State Avenue.

“The site was a bit of a challenge and a wonderful opportunity at the same time,” Rohr said. “Being on State Avenue and near 435 provided visibility but limited access. And with a natural streamway through the site, that left about 30 acres buildable, where we could support Cerner’s efforts to make the buildings

highly visible and a great presence.”Gov. Sam Brownback cut the ribbon

on the first of the two buildings in August 2013. At the time, about 1,000 workers occupied the building. The second tower is opening this winter, and most likely workers will be completely moved in by March or April. All told, the Continuous Campus should house about 4,000 workers, or nearly half of the firm’s approximately 9,000 Kansas City-area employees.

Cerner named the buildings the Continuous Campus because the Village West site is the location where Cerner employees manage and monitor electronic medical records across the nation. The records are changing and updating around the clock, hence the “Continuous” moniker.

Rohr said the architects were inspired by rotating a DNA pattern to create the dynamic patterning on the exterior of the two buildings—appropriate, given the medical purpose of Cerner.

“We wanted a building that

represented who Cerner was and represented technology. The material for the skin is a warm tone that sometimes takes on a wheat color and other times takes on a dark color,” Rohr said. “The material is sharkstooth stainless steel, which doesn’t require painting or sealing, and it fits in nicely with the Unified Government’s guidelines, as well.”

George Brajkovic, the Unified Government’s director of economic development, said that before Cerner announced its location at Village West, Wyandotte County had a reputation as a location for blue-collar employers, such as General Motors.

“Now, with those two towers and 600,000 square feet of offices, as a standalone, that would be a tremendous victory for the community,” he said. “But from a development perspective, now other companies are going to have to look at that location as a really viable option.”

Other developments are benefiting from Cerner’s Continuous Campus and all of its employees, as well. Legends

restaurants are more crowded at weekday lunchtimes, for example.

And two new apartment complexes, the Heights at Delaware Ridge, which opened last summer, and Village West Luxury Apartments, which opened its first building this winter, are counting on Cerner employees as potential residents.

“Cerner gave a boost to the whole area hugely,” said Bryan Smith, executive vice president of Gold Crown Properties, which developed the Heights at Delaware Ridge. “It truly is one of the most dynamic growth areas in the whole country.”

Brajkovic said that with everything that Cerner’s new buildings had done for Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., it has been the company’s interaction with local governments across metropolitan Kansas City that has impressed him the most.

“It is refreshing to see Cerner say they’re going to make commitments all over the Kansas City area, saying ‘Your community is important to us.’“

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Village West Development fills higher-end multifamily housing needBy Emily Mulligan

Beginning in 2014, there will be a new housing option near the Kansas Speedway.

The Village West Luxury Apartments opened its clubhouse and first apartment

building in January, and it will follow suit with five more apartment buildings scheduled to open by August.

“Look at the investment the city, the Speedway and Cerner have made in that area. It was poised for a boom, but what was lacking was rooftops. We feel we’re a complement to all the investment,” said Mark Pomerenke, project manager for NorthPoint Development.

As the name suggests, the apartments will have high-end amenities such as granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances and a washer and dryer in every unit.

“NorthPoint’s project is right at the top in terms of quality,” said George Brajkovic, director of economic

development for the Unified Government. “It reflects the big estate-style homes northwest of the Legends in the Piper area.”

Village West is NorthPoint Development’s third multifamily development in Kansas City. It also developed high-end apartments at Briarcliff and Burlington Creek on the Missouri side.

“We think it’s important to offer a high-quality product that we build to institutional grade, and that’s so we can have an asset we can be proud of,” Pomerenke said. “We worked closely with the Unified Government, and that was one thing they noticed they were lacking: higher-end multifamily housing.”

Brajkovic said that multifamily housing was important in the big picture because it helped with luring other types of development to the county.

“We’ve got a lot of positive things going, but one thing we really need is

strong multifamily. If we are going to develop and attract corporations like Cerner, we have to have housing,” he said.

The 306 apartments range from one to three bedrooms, and Pomerenke said the plan was to have a new building opening every 45 to 60 days until August.

“The pre-lease for this project is the fastest rate of pre-lease they’ve had for any other project,” Brajkovic said.

Amenities include a community clubhouse, concierge service, resort-style pool, on-site massage therapist, and a yoga and Pilates studio.

“We are looking for renters by choice, and we think we can reach people from

the medical center nearby, Cerner young professionals and families from the Leavenworth military base,” he said. “We also think we might have an angle on anyone employed along 435.”

Brajkovic said that developments like the Village West Luxury Apartments could move people to Kansas City, Kan., who would not have lived there otherwise.

“Building a product like they’ve built opens it up to folks from other parts of the metro area to come in and establish themselves in western Wyandotte County. And hopefully their long-term plans will keep them in Wyandotte County longer than they planned,” he said.

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Progress 2014 5

The Heights is the first to offer “living” at LegendsBy Emily Mulligan

Many shoppers and sports fans may feel like they “live” at the Legends and Village West areas, between spending time at

stores like Nebraska Furniture Mart and attending Sporting KC games. Until this past year, no one could actually live at the Legends.

The Heights at Delaware Ridge apartment complex, 12929 Delaware Parkway, moved in its first residents in July 2013. With 228 apartments ranging from one to three bedrooms, the Heights

is both the first residential component of the Legends and the first new apartment complex in Wyandotte County in more than two decades.

“We were the first ones in 27 years to complete a new apartment project in Kansas City, Kansas,” said Bryan Smith, executive vice president of Gold Crown Properties, the project’s developer. “We saw the opportunity to be the first ones out of the gate and that was exciting for

us. It is in such a dynamic growth area, we couldn’t pass it up.”

The Kansas Speedway was the first development in the far western reaches of Wyandotte County when it broke ground in 1999. Races began in 2001, and Nebraska Furniture Mart was the first retailer to open in the area in 2003, followed by Cabela’s and many other national stores and restaurants that were new to Kansas City.

“The Legends was the single largest commercial development project in the nation that didn’t have any residential living established around it,” said Danny Wastler of HarenLaughlin Construction, which built the apartment complex.

The Heights at Delaware Ridge began pre-leasing in April 2012. The location near shopping and entertainment, as well as with great highway access, held a lot of appeal from the outset. Military personnel at Fort Leavenworth, in particular, have shown interest in living in the Heights.

“The initial response was fantastic,” Smith said. “We had several hundred inquiries before we could move people in. The feedback from the community has been tremendous.”

Not only does the Heights have location as an advantage, but the complex also has been designed with residents in mind.

“These are garden-style apartments in a very comfortable, very secure environment. It has all the amenities that you want in apartments being built today, and it’s affordable,” Wastler said.

Rent starts at $750 per month for one-bedroom apartments and ranges to $1,395 per month for higher-end three-bedroom apartments.

Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo the new clubhouse and pool at heights at delaware ridge, 12929 delaware Parkway, will become a popular spot when the pool opens this spring.

Mike Yoder/Journal-World Photo Culinary arts students Brieanna davila, left, kansas City, kan., and lanysha Mays, Bonner Springs, work inside one of the large student kitchens at the kansas City kansas Community College’s dr. Burke technical education Center. the new facility houses programs ranging from culinary arts to cosmetology and computer repair.

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Re-development by KCKCC has big impact

By Emily Mulligan

What do an empty Wal-Mart strip mall and two long-shuttered car dealerships on State Avenue have in common? As of 2013,

they all have become newly renovated facilities for Kansas City Kansas Community College.

The strip mall re-opened in August 2013 as the Dr. Thomas Burke Technical Education Center, a $25 million state-of-the-art facility where students can participate in programs in computer repair, welding, small-appliance repair, physical therapist assistant and culinary arts. The Center is named after KCKCC’s former president, who had the idea to repurpose the strip mall for the college’s use.

Each of the car dealerships has been transformed to house the college’s auto mechanical repair and auto collision repair programs.

“We’re very proud, because there were three businesses that might have gone downhill and been dilapidated, and we revitalized and renovated them,” said Brian Bode, vice president of student and financial services, who oversaw the construction. “We contributed to making the State Avenue corridor more vibrant and better.”

George Brajkovic, director of economic development for the Unified Government, said that the improvement to the State Avenue corridor was the most visible change for KCKCC, but there is a much bigger impact yet to come.

“It is a great re-development of the center, but more important for the community is what it does for workforce development. When you are trying to

convince a company to locate in your community, it is critical that we have the workforce and it’s also skilled,” Brajkovic said.

For years, all of the programs were located at Schlagle High School, a less-than-ideal location for post-high school training.

The community college had to seek permission from its Higher Learning Commission accreditation organization to move to the new location.

“We passed with flying colors; some said it may be one of the best locations they had seen for this kind of program,” Bode said.

With the new facilities, the college was able to expand capacity for students in most of the programs.

“This has been a real shot in the arm for our program. We are just about as full as we can be,” Bode said. “We were fairly full before, then we grew, and we’re full again.”

Brajkovic said that having the Technical Education Center as a resource where local employers can send employees for training is a huge asset, both for existing and new local companies.

The other end of KCKCC’s campus received upgrades in 2013, as well, with the addition of a $4 million soccer, track and baseball complex. For the first time in years, the baseball and soccer teams can have home games.

With all of the improvements, Bode says that the perception of KCKCC is better than ever.

“It was not only visionary by Dr. Burke, but visionary by our Board of Trustees. They took a risk and saw into the future also. Across the board, it was a bold move,” Bode said.

Mike Yoder/ Journal-World Photo the kansas City kansas Community College’s dr. Burke technical education Center opened last august in an empty Wal-Mart strip mall.

Progress 2014 7

Nothing demonstrates a neighborhood’s revitalization quite like a long-overdue makeover for its local shopping center.

The Wyandotte Plaza at 78th Street and State Avenue is receiving more than just a facelift—there will be a brand-new grocery store to replace the current store, and every building and site surface will undergo significant renovation this year.

“The growth of the Legends area is radiating to the east, and we saw this as the next evolution in retail growth,” said Dave Claflin of RED Legacy, the new owners of Wyandotte Plaza.

RED Legacy purchased Wyandotte Plaza in 2012 and is providing the area and its residents with better shopping options, which will open this year. The current 46,000-square-foot Price Chopper will be replaced in April by a new, more upscale 68,000-square-foot Price Chopper comparable to its suburban counterparts. The current grocery building will be renovated and converted into retail space with what developers describe as desirable stores for local residents—ones they previously have had to drive some distance to get to.

“Because that area of Wyandotte County has so little national retailer presence, it will be a broader trade

than most neighborhood retail. It says something about the long-term viability of the area that you can live and shop and expect to have the same quality of stores as the rest of Kansas City,” Claflin said.

When the shopping center opened in the early 1960s, it was anchored by a TG&Y store and Western Auto. The TG&Y became the Price Chopper, and a different auto parts store moved in when Western Auto went out of business. But the center has been neglected, and most local residents head west to the Legends and Village West to do their main shopping, and to other suburban stores for groceries.

Murrel Bland, local resident and executive director of Business West, Inc., an organization and advocacy group for local businesses, said that the new, improved Wyandotte Plaza was happening in concert with other activity in the immediate area.

“The Unified Government will have spent $15 million in road renovations, which are underway now, for the basic needs of people within a five-mile radius,” he said. “And Business West is putting together a business benefit district for the State Avenue corridor between 64th Street and 94th Street that we hope to have this year, to give local merchants marketing and security.”

Property owners in the area, both

commercial and residential, have noticed an uptick in interest in their property, after waiting 10 to 20 years, Bland said.

“Success breeds success,” he said. “Anytime a community improves, it has lots of intangibles and creates an encouraging attitude from people.”

Mike Yoder/ Journal-World Photo a new Price Chopper store is under construction at the Wyandotte Plaza shopping center at 78th and State avenue.

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livestrong Sporting Park.

Several racks loaded with Sporting Kansas City T-shirts and memorabilia welcome customers to Sports Nutz of Village West, creating a sea of blue against the red Kansas City Chiefs gear lining

the walls.The abundance of blue exists because

of the enormous success of the building directly across Village West Parkway: Sporting Park, home to Kansas City’s major league soccer team, Sporting Kansas City. In 2013, Sporting Park hosted the Major League Soccer All Star game in July, a World Cup qualifying match in October and the MLS Championship match in December.

“Sporting KC has been an absolute godsend for us,” Sports Nutz Manager Kevin Bliss said.

The rebranding of Kansas City’s soccer team, the construction of its new stadium and the team’s championship winning season mean one thing for the surrounding stores, restaurants and businesses: economic gain.

Bliss said customers flood into his store hours before events at Sporting Park looking for Sporting KC scarves and hats. Nearby, the restaurant Granite City has also thrived off the increased traffic. Managing partner Angie Compton said people not only watch games at the restaurant but also visit after the game to eat and drink.

“They’re definitely bringing people out here that might not have come before,” Compton said. “They’re bringing us business.”

The benefits of a world-class soccer stadium in Wyandotte County will multiply in 2014 and beyond with several high-profile events choosing Sporting Park as a venue. Sporting Park will host five National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships in the next three years.

The $200 million development of Sporting Park, formerly known as Livestrong Park, give the county and the entire Kansas City metro area a boost, said Mike Taylor, director of public relations

for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County.

“Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, are now major players on the regional stage,” Taylor said.

The development of Sporting Park will have an estimated total economic impact of more than $500 million annually, Taylor said. Preliminary studies indicate that the athletics and other events at Sporting Park will draw more than 2.5 million outside visitors per year. The stadium and its affiliate companies have created 2,400 jobs in Village West, Taylor said.

“No one really could have envisioned the success it’s brought to the community,” Taylor said. “It’s really helped put Kansas City, Kansas, on the map.”

In March, Sporting Park will host an international match between Sporting KC and Cruz Azul, a member of the professional Mexican Primera Division from Mexico City. International games and college championships are sure to

continue bringing visitors to Wyandotte County and its hotels, restaurants and shops.

Bliss said he prepares for big events like the MLS Championship because he knows he is going to see a spike in business. In December, he ordered six boxes of championship T-shirts before the final game against Real Salt Lake.

After the game a crowd of fans poured across the street to Village West and into Sports Nutz.

“All six boxes, gone in seconds,” Bliss said.

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Progress 2014 9

Wyandotte County’s purchase of CommunityAmerica Ballpark, home of the Kansas City T-Bones baseball team, was a matter of life or death for the independent baseball team, county officials said recently as they continued to negotiate terms of the sale.

The $8 million purchase of the ballpark, using Village West Sales Tax Revenue Bonds (STAR), solidifies a future for the team that’s vital to the community, said Mike Taylor, Unified Government public relations director. While the T-Bones baseball club is financially successful, Taylor said, owning the stadium is not financially viable for the Ehlert family, who built it.

“The bank could have foreclosed at any point,” Taylor said. “We couldn’t afford to let that to happen.”

The 6,200-seat stadium was built in 2003 and is privately owned by Ehlert Development. The Ehlerts also own the T-Bones baseball team. With its pending purchase of the ballpark, the county is retaining $410,000 annually in sales, income, property, hotel and alcohol taxes, Taylor said. The Unified Government unanimously approved of the purchase in November.

CommunityAmerica Ballpark was one of the few privately owned stadiums

in the nation. Most stadiums, including Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., are owned by the local government and leased by a team. Taylor said the county’s purchase of the stadium finally aligns the team with a majority of sports franchises in the country.

In an open letter to fans in November, Team President Adam Ehlert said that when his family built CommunityAmerica Ballpark in 2002, Kansas state law did not allow for public stadium construction or ownership.

“That has since changed, and this transaction will put us on a level playing field, so to speak, both locally and nationally,” Ehlert wrote.

The Unified Government said the purchase of the stadium would not affect its ability to pay off the Village West bonds by 2017, four years ahead of schedule.

In 2013, more than 265,000 fans attended T-Bones games. Taylor said the team generates more than $5.5 million a year in economic benefit for Wyandotte County — $410,000 in taxes, $2.6 million in utilities paid, visiting team lodging, payroll and vendors paid and $1.5 million in estimated spending at Village West by spectators. The annual payroll for local workers is more than $1.5 million, according to the Unified Government.

MeMa’s Old Fashioned Bakery, a locally owned family bakery in Wyandotte County since 1995, is picking up and jogging east down State Avenue from its old location at The Legends at Village West to Wyandotte Plaza.

The move marks the end of an eight-year stay at the Legends, but allows the business to expand several of its popular concepts.

“We were proud to be there for eight years,” said bakery founder and owner Loraine Waldeck, “but this is just a real positive for us, taking us out of the mall concept and making us more accessible.”

MeMa’s Bakery will open in March at the Wyandotte Plaza near 78th Street and State Avenue. MeMa’s also has a location in the Power & Light district in Kansas City, Mo., which is owned and operated by Waldeck’s daughter, Cassidy Waldeck.

The business is named after

Loraine Waldeck’s 86-year-old mother, Marion Hoffman, whose children and grandchildren all call her “MeMa.” Hoffman still visits each of the stores, Waldeck said, to have coffee and “boss us around a little.”

“In a good way, of course,” Waldeck added.

The new location offers more than 2,000 square feet of space, compared to 1,500 at the Legends. The added space will be used to expand the current breakfast and lunch cafe and also will allow for an increase in wholesale baked goods, Waldeck said.

“We’re just really excited about it,” Waldeck said.

The bakery is known for traditional English walnut povitica, authentic German apple strudel and cherry strudel and cinnamon rolls, including a giant cinnamon roll called the Chateau Avalon.

Purchase of CommunityAmerica Ballpark secures future for T-Bones

MeMa’s Bakery moves out of The Legends into Wyandotte Plaza

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Investments in Providence help secure a future for it and the growing areaBy Emily Mulligan

After buying Providence Medical Center in April, Prime Healthcare Services has helped assure a solid future for the hospital, located at 89th Street and

Parallel Parkway since 1976.“Prior to the sale, there was some

question whether we would stay open,” said Randy Nyp, Providence’s CEO who has led the hospital through the transition. “Now, it’s obvious that question has been answered, that we will continue to provide services to the area.”

One of the hospital’s busiest areas

is emergency services, where it averages around 100 patients per day.

Along with high patient volumes, Nyp said the hospital also supports many patients who were uninsured. He hopes to start seeing some change in their status with the Affordable Care Act.

“Wyandotte County has a disproportionate share of uninsured patients,” Nyp said.

Prime Healthcare also purchased an imaging center, now called Providence Medical Imaging Center, located in the Legends at Village West shopping center. It provides MRIs and CT scans to patients. The hospital already has MRI and CT scan facilities on site, so doctors may refer their patients who need outpatient imaging to the new facility.

Prime has invested in capital

improvements at the hospital such as new roofs, HVAC systems and parking lot upgrades.

One of the most visible changes, is the hospital’s lighted exterior sign—the first lighted sign it has had in its history.

“It was the biggest morale booster for our staff,” said Kathie Conwell, director of marketing and public relations. “They have worked so incredibly hard through the turnaround.”

In addition to the internal changes in the past year, the hospital, located just a mile east of the Legends, has watched many changes develop around it during the past few years, with new apartment complexes and other growth.

“A lot of our focus before was to the east, and now we are working toward the expansion and vitality of western Wyandotte County,” Conwell said. “We’re turning our sights toward the west and south and expanding our presence in the area.”

Nyp said that with the purchase, the hospital now pays property tax, which helps the county even more.

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Progress 2014 11

Google Fiber’s first installation phase nearly complete

By Caroline BoyER cboyer@theworldco.info

Ron Raney says that life, for the most part, is better with Google Fiber.

Living in the Delaware Ridge neighborhood northeast of State Avenue

and Kansas Highway 7, Raney is in one of the western-most areas to receive the lightning-fast Internet service. He runs the neighborhood blog and was quick to preregister for the 1-gigabit Google Fiber, as well as its television services.

“The speed of the Internet is great,” he said. “(It’s) not 1 gig, but more in the range of 500 to 700 Mbps ... It is very beneficial when uploading or downloading files, as it saves lots of time.”

Raney says the service is not yet problem-free, but Google Fiber has been responsive.

“I have worked with the technicians on many of the issues, and they do their best to correct and come up with solutions,” he said.

Google Fiber’s decision to make Kansas City, Kan., the first home for its services has spurred start-up businesses to locate in homes to access the service, not yet offered for commercial properties, and has caused other metropolitan areas to knock down Google’s door asking to be the next in line to have Google Fiber installed in their city.

While Raney said that, to his knowledge, his Fiberhood’s installation is complete, Google Fiber didn’t quite meet its goal of completing installation in the 180 preregistered Fiberhoods in Kansas City, Kan., and Kansas City, Mo., by the end of 2013.

Jenna Wandres, policy communications associate for Google Fiber, said initial build-out was expected to be finished by mid-February, and service installation would then begin in North and South Kansas City, Mo. In addition, Kansas City neighborhoods that didn’t meet the original qualification thresholds of 5 percent to 25 percent pre-registration will be given a second shot at qualifying.

Google Fiber has agreements to bring the service to Gladstone, Grandview, Lee’s Summit and Raytown on the Missouri side of the state line and virtually every city in Johnson County except Overland Park. Wandres said Google didn’t yet have projections of when pre-registration would begin in those areas, but use of the

Fiberhood pre-registration process is a guarantee.

“Google Fiber will still build to demand,” Wandres said.

As far as expanding to areas such as Leavenworth and Douglas counties, that would require a deal with electricity provider Westar Energy.

One reason the Kansas Cities were chosen as the starting point for Google Fiber was the ability to work with single providers in each city — the Board of Public Utilities on the Kansas side and Kansas City Power & Light in Missouri — on agreements to share space on utility poles. Wandres said Google is currently focused on the cities where agreements are already in place and has yet to make an agreement with Westar or any other utility provider.