Area Developer/Banker Looking to Build Out South

JOHNSON COUNTY, KS-A local developer/banker has his sights on the 135th Street corridor in southern Johnson County. The east/west thoroughfare is the latest hot spot to be sought in this affluent suburban county. First it was College Boulevard, then 119th Street and now, from the farmlands turned bedroom communities, it is 135th Street garnering the attention.

Developer and banker Jack Waters wants to build as much as 300,000 sf of stores along 135th Street, east of Pflumm Road in eastern Overland Park, near the Olathe city limits. Plans are similar to those used for the WestGlen Shopping Center in Shawnee, which he helped open five years ago. The Overland Park site is 105 acres with space for office buildings as well, up to 500,000 sf. An anchor tenant and real estate leasing company are being sought, with no dates set for initial construction.

Development has already been strong along 135th Street, from State Line to Roe Avenue to Quivira Road and over to Blackbob Road in Olathe. Block & Co. is developing property next to Water’s land. The Prairie Center is expected to be completed in two years with more than 220,000 sf of retail and office space. Current tenants include Commerce Bank, Osco and Goodyear.