New plan for Metcalf South
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- City Center Square
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New plan for Metcalf South
It seems that Metcalf north of I-435 has about three times as much retail, offices, hotels and restaurants as the area around Oak Park. I was shopping at T.J. Maxx on a Monday afternoon and it was packed. Nearly everywhere you went was buzzing with people and cars. Yet Metcalf South sits almost completely vacant. I find it boogling that this area couldn't support some sort of retail environment at 95th and Metcalf. It is really the crossroads of Johnson County and very accessable.
I'd like to see an "urban in the suburbs" center that mixes office, retail, and hotel into one glass, flashy, Beverly Center-esque, multi-level development. Don't go after the upscale stuff, but bring in larger format retail like Gap, Bed Bath and Beyond, Theaters, and B&N in addition to a new Jones and Sears. Build a huge upscale food court and exclusive restaurants to serve the office workers in the area. Make the place very easy to get in and out of by using underground and above ground parking ramps near the end of the center you are accessing. Basically, make it an impressive center that caters to office workers, out-of-towners, and nearby families.
I'd like to see an "urban in the suburbs" center that mixes office, retail, and hotel into one glass, flashy, Beverly Center-esque, multi-level development. Don't go after the upscale stuff, but bring in larger format retail like Gap, Bed Bath and Beyond, Theaters, and B&N in addition to a new Jones and Sears. Build a huge upscale food court and exclusive restaurants to serve the office workers in the area. Make the place very easy to get in and out of by using underground and above ground parking ramps near the end of the center you are accessing. Basically, make it an impressive center that caters to office workers, out-of-towners, and nearby families.
New plan for Metcalf South
I agree that Metcalf S. is a great location. I think it's main problem is that it's evolved into a "has-been" mall. I live close to one here in Calif. The mall I live by has that 25-years-past-its-prime look, anchored by Sears, Pennys and Walmart. They're putting in Bed, Bath & Beyond, Cost Plus World Market, a micro-brewery, and several other nicer restaurants with outdoor eating, extensive landscaping and they're giving the mall nicer architectural features. Like Metcalf S., it looks like a big ugly box right now.
I'd like to see a more urban center there, like you suggested. But you forget this is JoCo where people fear "urban" or "higher density". Eventually something will have to be done with it though.
I'd like to see a more urban center there, like you suggested. But you forget this is JoCo where people fear "urban" or "higher density". Eventually something will have to be done with it though.
- dangerboy
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New plan for Metcalf South
It's in the same boat as Ward Parkway Center, Metro North Mall, and Antioch Center - older, struggling malls surrounded by good demographics. Overall, people's tastes and habits are changing more towards the "power" strip malls and less towards the traditional enclosed shopping centers. Only two enclosed malls (Independence and Oak Park) are currently thriving.
Metcalf South should look at Ward Parkway Center as a good example of how to revive a dying mall. They should also change the name to Metcalf North, as the development has gone so far south that this stretch of Metcalf is now actuallly relatively far north.
Metcalf South should look at Ward Parkway Center as a good example of how to revive a dying mall. They should also change the name to Metcalf North, as the development has gone so far south that this stretch of Metcalf is now actuallly relatively far north.
Metcalf North
No kidding! Wasn't most of College still two-lane asphalt or dirt when Metcalf South was built in the '60s?dangerboy wrote:They should also change the name to Metcalf North, as the development has gone so far south that this stretch of Metcalf is now actuallly relatively far north.
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New plan for Metcalf South
Officials say 'ghost mall' is scaring away retailers
By:Rob Roberts, Sun Staff Writer October 16, 2003
The Metcalf South Shopping Center, its dozens of vacancies earning it a reputation as "the ghost mall," may be scaring prospective retailers away from Overland Park, city officials said this week.
Located at the southeast corner of 95th Street and Metcalf, the area's first regional shopping mall was opened in 1967 and should still be packed with tenants and shoppers, officials say. But because Metcalf South's owners decline to renovate or sell, they add, the mall gives the mistaken impression that Overland Park is less suited for retailing than for filming horror flicks like "Night of the Living Mall Walkers."
"The floors are beautiful in here," said Jo Beighley, who manages the Desmonds Formal Wear store on the second floor of the three-level mall. "They're always kept up, but then there's nobody walking on them other than the mall walkers, who are wearing tennis shoes.
"The mall walkers love it here. They don't have to worry about bumping into anybody. And they can't window shop anymore, so they don't spend any money."
According to Beighley, shoppers have become so scarce on the mall's second floor that "if I closed my store for a day, it wouldn't matter. It's just kind of goofy."
Six years ago, when Desmonds signed its lease with the shopping center's owners, Dreiseszun and Morgan, the mall was nearly fully occupied. Now, the second-floor food court is gone and only five of the other 38 spaces are occupied.
In about five months, when Desmonds' lease is up, they'll probably leave, too, Beighley said. Even if the mall owners offer to lower their lease rate dramatically, she explained, it wouldn't offset the damage that the chain's reputation would sustain from remaining in an almost empty mall.
Fortunately, Beighley added, Desmonds has been able to keep its Metcalf South location open for the duration of its lease because it's a destination business.
That's also true of the Glenwood Arts Theatre, which fueled some hope for the mall when it opened on the second level late last year. But Mr. Bulky's, a candy store next to the Glenwood Arts, is another story.
"The only thing that's keeping Mr. Bulky's going is the theater," Beighley said, "because you know people are going to Mr. Bulky's to sneak candy into the theater."
Even so, the candy store recently began closing at 8 p.m. instead of 9 p.m., she added, "because they started tracking their business and found they were doing only $3 to $4 in that last hour.
"It's really sad considering this could be such a good mall," Beighley added.
Bob Lindeblad, senior planner for the city of Overland Park, agrees.
"The No. 1 question that everybody always asks is, 'What's going to happen to Metcalf?' or 'What can we do about it?'" Lindeblad said. "It looks bad for Overland Park, because it's on such a huge, prominent corner in the city."
Lindeblad said he doesn't believe anything substantial will occur at the mall unless Sherman Dreiseszun, president of the mall's ownership group, decides to redevelop or sell the mall.
"Unless he wants to do something, it's just going to keep sitting there," Lindeblad said.
Dreiseszun did not return phone inquiries about the potential for redevelopment at Metcalf South or a mall his firm owns in Toledo, Ohio.
Last year, the International Council of Shopping Centers posted a story on its Web site that indicated a renewed interest in Toledo's 30-year-old Southwyck Shopping Center following a Dreiseszun proposal to make $20 million worth of renovations there.
On Tuesday, an employee at the Toledo mall said, "We're still kind of waiting" for the improvements.
Overland Park City Councilman Tim Owens said he was eagerly waiting for similar improvements at Metcalf South.
"It's really in pretty good shape," Owens said of the mall. "The problem is that it is the old-style mall, and the owner, Mr. Dreiseszun, is in his 80s."
In spite of the tenant exodus and an annual property tax bill that cost the mall owners $487,242 last year, Owens added, Dreiseszun may not be losing money on Metcalf South because it is paid for. Still, something drastic should be done, he said.
"Of course, there are some people who think they should tear it down between the two anchors (Sears and Jones) and rebuild it with a new format," Owens said. "I don't know about that, but it does need some kind of a facelift externally and internally."
Especially in the wake of recent city improvements to Metcalf, the councilman added, the area is certainly worth reinvesting in.
Red Lobster apparently agrees with that assessment, Owens said, pointing to the company's recent decision to tear down and rebuild its restaurant at the northeast corner of 95th and Metcalf.
Owens added that he was hopeful that renovations at the mall would allow nonretail uses to be confined largely to its third floor, where occupants currently include Fred Pryor Seminars, Career Track, the Volunteer Center of Johnson County and El Centro, an agency that assists the local Hispanic community.
But Rich Geller, general manager at Metcalf South, indicated that the mall may continue to travel down the nonretail path blazed by many other declining retail areas before it.
"We're still trying to lease space," Geller said. "But it doesn't necessarily have to be retail."
That's not to say there is no good news at Metcalf South, Geller added.
Contrary to false media reports that circulated after the new Jones Store at Oak Park Mall was announced, he said, the Jones Store at Metcalf South will be there until at least 2014.
"The Jones Store just signed a 10-year extension," he said. "And Sears owns their own property, and I think that is still the No. 1 location in their region."
The new Glenwood Arts Theater is also "doing great," Geller said. And while the Jester's Comedy Club recently closed its doors, he added, the mall's hopes of establishing itself as an entertainment mecca have been bolstered by Martin City Melodrama's new tenancy and its recent addition of a youth theater component.
"We've got Martin City Melodrama getting ready to sign a lease for a minimum of three years, possibly 10," Geller said. "We're going full bore on that. But really, right now that's all we've got in the pot."
Geller said he never understood why so many tenants had left Metcalf South. But Beighley believes she has a pretty good idea.
"From what I'm hearing, when the leases started to come up a few years ago, they were offering the same rates as what were being offered at Oak Park Mall, which, of course, is newer and more exciting," she said. "For the past two and a half years, you'd see two or three stores go every two months. And when the trendy stores went, the other stores were going to follow. It was a gradual thing. But here at the end, I think we've lost six stores within the last six months."
While few have benefited from the exodus, Beighley said, appliance shoppers love it.
"With Sears, what a great place to zip in, get a dishwasher and get out," she said. "You're not fighting traffic, the intersections are great and it's very accessible. Very accessible."
J.D. Bittel, who owns the 21,000-square-foot Gifts & Accents store on the ground floor of the mall, just north of Sears, said his destination shoppers enjoy the convenience, as well.
"I've been there for 24 years, and Sherman (Dreiseszun) has been an excellent landlord," said Bittel, who added that his lease rates also had been favorable to those at Oak Park Mall or other popular new retail meccas to the south.
"But our traffic has dropped as all the stores have left," he acknowledged. "We don't get the walk-by business we used to have. So we've had to let some of the lines of pick-up items we used to carry go by the wayside."
Hopefully, the mall can be turned around, Bittel said.
"But (Dreiseszun) tells me that right now the economic climate in retail has been so soft that it's been tough getting retailers to come in," he said. "Possibly some more of it needs to become offices. At least that would generate a lot of foot traffic."
©The Johnson County Sun 2003
New plan for Metcalf South
hey, at least they're getting a new red lobster across the street--now that's progress.
"ALWAYS be closing"
- QueSi2Opie
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New plan for Metcalf South
Actually, that Red Lobster has always been there. They jus' tore down the old building to rebuild a new one.TheDude wrote:hey, at least they're getting a new red lobster across the street--now that's progress.
Maybe Metcalf South Shopping Center can change their name to Mullet South Shopping Center to attract more of us suburbanites, ey Dude?
The Pendergast Poltergeist Project!
I finally divorced beer and proposed to whiskey, but I occassionally cheat with fine wine.
I finally divorced beer and proposed to whiskey, but I occassionally cheat with fine wine.
New plan for Metcalf South
dont get me wrong, i have respect for the mullet, used to have one myself. in fact, the mullet is a form of expressing one's identity (see American Mullet on Trio sometime, great docmentary on the wild hairstyle!)
ok, speaking of suburbs, on my way from brookside to olathe to work, i followed half of a double wide trailer down 135th street, obviously destined for some new resting place in wonderbread land. but what really freaked me out was as i looked in the west bound lane there was a 300lb dude truckin' down the turn lane in his RASCAL!!! now i don't see that type of sh!t in my hood....olathe is kind of like Twin Peaks, only the people are larger. all of this really freaked me out, think i am going to buy a bottle of good irish whiskey and drink that memory away!!
ok, speaking of suburbs, on my way from brookside to olathe to work, i followed half of a double wide trailer down 135th street, obviously destined for some new resting place in wonderbread land. but what really freaked me out was as i looked in the west bound lane there was a 300lb dude truckin' down the turn lane in his RASCAL!!! now i don't see that type of sh!t in my hood....olathe is kind of like Twin Peaks, only the people are larger. all of this really freaked me out, think i am going to buy a bottle of good irish whiskey and drink that memory away!!
"ALWAYS be closing"
- QueSi2Opie
- Bryant Building
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- Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 2:05 pm
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New plan for Metcalf South
I had a damn rat-tail as a kid! Anyhow, I'll share that bottle of Jameson with you and maybe we can roll one up and smoke it for the Lebowski.TheDude wrote:dont get me wrong, i have respect for the mullet, used to have one myself. in fact, the mullet is a form of expressing one's identity (see American Mullet on Trio sometime, great docmentary on the wild hairstyle!)
ok, speaking of suburbs, on my way from brookside to olathe to work, i followed half of a double wide trailer down 135th street, obviously destined for some new resting place in wonderbread land. but what really freaked me out was as i looked in the west bound lane there was a 300lb dude truckin' down the turn lane in his RASCAL!!! now i don't see that type of sh!t in my hood....olathe is kind of like Twin Peaks, only the people are larger. all of this really freaked me out, think i am going to buy a bottle of good irish whiskey and drink that memory away!!
The Pendergast Poltergeist Project!
I finally divorced beer and proposed to whiskey, but I occassionally cheat with fine wine.
I finally divorced beer and proposed to whiskey, but I occassionally cheat with fine wine.
New plan for Metcalf South
all i have to say is "let me tell you something pendejo, you pull any of your crazy shit with us, you flash your piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you and stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger 'till it goes click."
olathe--out
olathe--out
"ALWAYS be closing"
- QueSi2Opie
- Bryant Building
- Posts: 3864
- Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 2:05 pm
- Location: Hangin' with the cons, crazies, and crackheads on 11th & Grand.
New plan for Metcalf South
and I respond with "Are you gonna bark all day, little doggie, or are you gonna bite?"TheDude wrote:all i have to say is "let me tell you something pendejo, you pull any of your crazy shit with us, you flash your piece out on the lanes, I'll take it away from you and stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger 'till it goes click."
olathe--out
...or maybe this "Wait a minute, pardon me lady, but I think there's some kind of ignorant chicken-sucker in this car who needs his face cut open. You cheap honky fagots! Which one of you wants to get cut?!"
Outtie 5000, G!
Quotes taken from Reservoir Dogs and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.
The Pendergast Poltergeist Project!
I finally divorced beer and proposed to whiskey, but I occassionally cheat with fine wine.
I finally divorced beer and proposed to whiskey, but I occassionally cheat with fine wine.