By Jill Draper
Right now there are 34 acres of mostly trees on the eastern boundary of Leawood, stretching along the Kansas side of State Line Road from College Boulevard to I-435. But probably not for long.
Noting the acreage is the last significant undeveloped site in the city, the Leawood City Planning Commission was full of praise after viewing images of a proposed mixed use development that members called stellar and iconic.
On Sept.9 they unanimously passed a plan to rezone the property and send preliminary plans to the city council for their approval on Oct. 6.
Called Hallbrook North, the development would be built in two phases. The first would have an 11- to 12-story office building, a retreat center, 225 apartments, a hotel with an event center, two or three restaurants and a day care center. The second phase would include a 7- or 8-story office building plus a smaller building and more apartments.
The hilltop site has at least a 70-foot drop from State Line Road to where it meets the Leawood City Park, and buildings would range from 35 feet to 200 feet high. The planning commissioners voted to okay the extra height of four buildings for the site.
VanTrust Real Estate LLC is handling the plans, but has not announced what company might anchor the offices. However, some sources are predicting that it could be Lockton, the world’s largest independent insurance brokerage firm.
It’s a possible scenario. When VanTrust was developing an earlier office building on State Line Road called Three Hallbrook Place, they waited until they had lined up KBP Foods to occupy a portion of the space before going ahead with plans.
Lockton has about 2,000 employees and has been considering a move from its Country Club Plaza headquarters for over a year.
According to the rendering, Hallbrook North would have one entrance on College and two entrances on State Line with the main one at 108th, where a stoplight used to be. At least 2,664 parking spaces, mostly in garages below the offices and apartments, would be built, and a pedestrian plaza would connect the restaurants, hotel and main office building. The property would be at least 30 percent open space, and a new greenway would connect it to the park.
The project will seek economic incentives, including tax increment financing. These will be discussed at the Oct. 6 meeting. If approved, construction would start in the second quarter of 2026.
Meanwhile, Johnson County Wastewater is installing a new sewer line along State Line Road and through the park. A portion of it runs along the eastern edge of Leawoof Dog Park, and has temporarily closed a small section of it until October 8.
The purpose of the project, called the State Line Road Forcemain and Pump Station, is to capture flows that currently drain into Kansas City’s collection system, instead sending those flows to the newly completed wastewater treatment facility in Leawood.
Johnson County Wastewater evaluated the business case for this project and determined it would save over $100 million in about 20 years, compared to the cost of continued treatment of all flows by KCMO.
Along with these long-term savings, this project will pay for itself in approximately 6 to 7 years, officials said.
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