City of Shawnee, Kansas
ULI Kansas City conducted a technical assistance panel November 1-2, 2023, for the City of Shawnee, Kansas. Over two days, the panelists studied the area, considered the development challenges and opportunities, and gathered input from community stakeholders, including City staff, downtown business owners, interest groups, and residents. They presented their initial findings and recommendations in a public presentation on November 2. If you missed the TAP presentation, you can view the slides with the link below. The full TAP Report is also linked.
Over the past five years Downtown Shawnee has experienced unprecedented investment from both public and private sectors. As the area continues to evolve, the City of Shawnee and the Shawnee Chamber of Commerce want to explore opportunities for future development within the Northwest quadrant of the district. This area is anchored by the former Wonderscope Children’s Museum/Flint Elementary school building located at 5700 King Street. The building, which sits on 1.74 acres, has been vacant and blighted for nearly five years. Given the proximity to the downtown shops, restaurants, and entertainment options, there is a potential reuse of the building or site that could augment the current redevelopment activities.
The three essential questions/issues to be evaluated by the TAP Panel are:
- What is the highest and best use of the building and/or site located at 5700 King Street, taking into consideration surrounding real estate uses, market influences, and neighborhood/community desires?
- How is the Northwest quadrant of downtown Shawnee best activated and connected to activities on Johnson Drive and Nieman Road?
- Additional opportunities for development financing for this or other suggested projects.
We are grateful to our TAP panelists for generously sharing their time and expertise for this study:
Craig Scranton, BNIM | Co-Chair
Brittney Swartz, Burns & McDonnell | Co-Chair
Virginia Dobesh, Edgemoor Infrastructure & Real Estate
Gunnar Hand, Unified Government of WYCO-KCK
Matt Ledbetter, Monument Health Care Development
Kassie Murphy, Newmark Zimmer
Godfrey Riddle, Civic Saint
Mark Sherfy, BHC
Matt Tapp, Griffin Riley Property Group
Chip Walsh, Mercier Street
Travis Willson, Veritas Architecture + Design