The Leawood governing body approved a resolution for the revised final development plan of land in the mixed-use East Village development near 135th and Mission Road on June 15. The decision is a victory for Oddo Real Estate Development, which will shift focus from its Twin Villas project to building larger, more expensive homes in the East Village development.
The new single-family homes in East Village will start at $1.2 million, according to Oddo representatives at the meeting. The higher price tag is a contrast from the company’s investment in Twin Villas, which start at about $950,000.
The East Village development broke ground in 2024 and is expected to be complete by 2033. The mixed-use development will bring restaurants and other retail tenants to the west side of State Line Road just north of 135th Street.
The shift in focus comes as interest in the Twin Villas was lower than anticipated, according to Oddo Development Manager Courtney Oddo. Councilmembers, such as Mary Larson, said they needed to help the firm respond to the market.
The seven existing lots in the Twin Villa development will now be repurposed into 10 lots for the bigger, single-family homes. These should garner more interest from prospective buyers, according to the firm.
The lone dissenting vote came from Ward 3 Councilmember Lisa Harrison, who made an initial motion to deny the resolution. Harrison argued that Leawood had a mandate from its residents to “diversify its housing stock.” She also echoed a common sentiment that councilmembers have heard from longtime residents in recent years.
“Our residents want to downsize and stay in Leawood in single story homes,’ Harrison said. “We need to build homes in that $750,000 range.”
That claim was repeated throughout the 2023 and 2025 campaigns of several current councilmembers, which led to many promises for smaller housing options.
“The Twin Villas are not selling,” Ward 3 Councilmember Rachel Rubin said. “We can’t be building more of these.”
Mayor Marc Elkins alluded to concerns from residents about the “aesthetics” of the Twin Villas. The discussion turned toward the shared wall within the Twin Villas as being a non-starter for Leawood residents looking to relocate in the city.
The East Village mixed-use development isn’t expected to be fully complete until the next decade. Other Lenexa-based firms serve as key companies on the project, including Klover Architects and Schlagel & Associates.
