By Brad Ziegler
The owner of the former Martin City Golf Center at 1 E. 135th Street held a public meeting on November 26 at the monthly Center Planning and Development Council meeting to share initial plans for redevelopment of the site.
The public meeting was held as part of the application process for rezoning the 28-acre site and subdividing the property into three parcels to be developed for different purposes. The property is currently zoned for industrial use and the rezoning application seeks to change the zoning to allow for the residential, retail and business uses contemplated for the development.
The project is called Tilden Station and is being developed by Martin City Venture LLC, which purchased the property from the Nigro Family Partnership in 2022.
John Richmond and Rob Wilkin had leased the Martin City Sports Complex from the Nigros in 2017 and operated it as The Martin City Golf Center prior to closing it five years later after being unable to reach an agreement to purchase the property.
Michael Knight, with Martin City Venture, LLC, made the presentation at the meeting and explained that the subdivision plan proposes three phases. Knight said that Phase One would include a four-story apartment complex with 250 to 300 units of studio, one- bedroom and two-bedroom apartments with Class A amenities, a stormwater retention pond, and an emergency access lane connecting the property to 135th Street. Class A amenities include a pool, playgrounds, outdoor fitness and barbecue areas, a club, and business and fitness centers. The main entrance to the apartment complex would be on the east side of the property next to the Rosehill Gardens outdoor event space.
Phase Two is the portion of the property that faces 135th Street across from the Martin City Post Office and would include retail and restaurant development sites.
Phase Three is a five-acre site on the west side of the property which could potentially be the site for offices, sports facilities or storage units. The southern portion of the property lies in the flood plain and would not be part of the development plan. The project has already been approved by the City of Kansas City for 75 percent property tax abatement for ten years.
Representatives from some of the nearby Martin City businesses attended the meeting and inquired about planned access points to the development along 135th Street, the project’s potential impact on recently developed parking on 135th Street and the timeline for approval and construction.
These businesses and others in the area have been concerned about this site and other vacant properties in the area, where upkeep has been inconsistent and redevelopment efforts have stalled.
Vicki Wolverton, Executive Director of the Martin City Community Improvement District, was also in attendance at the meeting and said afterwards, “We are excited to see this project move forward and are interested to learn more about the specific plans that the developer has for the property.”
Knight said that he hoped to gain approval of the requested subdivision and rezoning of the site by the end of 2024. He estimated that approval of the design and plans for Phase One of the project could take an additional four to five months.
“When we get the plans and design work approved,” he said, “we will come back to the public with more information and an opportunity to view what the project would look like.”
Once the plans are approved by the City of Kansas City, and building permits are issued, he estimated that construction of Phase One would take another 16 months to complete.
“We will hopefully be able to identify potential retail and commercial prospects and move the other phases of the development forward at the same time,” Knight said.
Martin City Venture, LLC is affiliated with Revive Capital Development, a Kansas City-based real estate developer that has redeveloped several downtown buildings in Kansas City and St. Louis, including the 31-story Commerce Tower building at 9th and Main in Kansas City. The Martin City project is estimated at $40 million.
The Tilden Station project, so named after the city’s original name, Tilden, is one of several apartment projects in the area that has been in some stage of development for the past several years, including the 194-unit Forest Ridge Villas complex near 134th Street and Holmes, just east of Margaritas restaurant, which was completed late last year. The complex is currently 82 percent occupied. The Edge Apartments is a 93-unit multi-family project that plans to begin construction in 2025 near 138th Street and Madison Street, behind Mercedes Benz of Kansas City South.
Efforts to develop multi-family housing at the former Sutherlands site at 135th Street and Holmes Road appear to have come to a standstill as the owner of the property is reported to be finalizing a sale to a purchaser with a different intended use for the site.
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