Mission Farms: Brookside in Leawood?

eliphar17 · Post by **eliphar17** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 6:59 pm

While searching for info on LEED buildings in Kansas City, I found this interesting tidbit, a quote from an architect at CDFMÂ² (now 360):

Weâ€™re also seeing a lot of mixed-use projects surfacing. We just started one, called Mission Farms, about 20 miles south of downtown Kansas City. Itâ€™s a live, work and play community with retail and restaurants on the first floor and residential and office above. It was an old Saddle Club 75 years ago, so the owner wanted to play off the history of the site with the design, which will have a regal, English Tudor appearance with European influence.

So I says to myself, well this sounds really interesting. Why haven't I heard about it before? So I search this forum, only to come up empty-handed. I turn back to Google and find this revealing site (even the address should be revealing): http://www2.reeceandnichols.com/newhome ... nfarms.asp

Turns out Mission Farms is not really a "live, work, and play community" at all... certainly not like the images I had in my mind of an English-themed high-density development.

BVC · Post by **BVC** » Fri Jan 14, 2005 7:07 pm

Actually, driving by the site at roughly 435 and Mission you'll actually notice a sign facing Mission describing the original part you described. I can't remember if there are renderings but there are descriptions that will lead one to believe that it will be mixed use. Currently though, only the large lot estates exist.

DiggityDawg · Post by **DiggityDawg** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 9:59 am

Developers seek to re-create Brookside in Leawood

Project lures hot names in hip KC spots.

By JOYCE SMITH - The Kansas City Star

Mission Farms is out to make Johnson County cool.

It has enticed some of the hottest names in the cityâ€™s hippest areas to expand to suburbia: Blue Koi Noodles & Dumplings and Room 39 from 39th Streetâ€™s restaurant row, Aixois in the Crestwood shops, and Mildredâ€™s Coffeehouse in the Crossroads Arts District.

Instead of suburbiaâ€™s beige strip malls, Mission Farms will be spread out in several buildings with â€œWestportâ€

phxcat · Post by **phxcat** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:32 am

Mission Farms? If they want to create an urban neighborhood, can't they at least come up with a name that sounds urban?

Post by **KCMax** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:42 am

[quote]â€œPeople are always approaching us about going out south and I keep saying, not out south,â€

Robafurd · Post by **Robafurd** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:49 am

why would people in Fairway and Mission Hills go all the way out there to a development that emulates Brookside, considering the real Brookside is so much closer? hmmm...

leaf · Post by **leaf** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:51 am

i am glad they are actively going for local businesses.

but yeah, mission farms?

Robafurd - my guess is that the developer is not trying to entice those people out south, but rather to entice the people already out south. there are probably quite a few people in leawood that drive into KCMO to visit the unique restaurants and shops and would love to have those same businesses out there.

ComandanteCero · Post by **ComandanteCero** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:37 pm

it looks like a decent stab at urbanity (atleast for Leawood). It's weird seeing these proto-urban developments that still have a lot of suburban elements. The main street is way too wide (it doesn't necessarily have to be as narrow as zona rosa, but it doesn't have to be as wide as they have it). It looks like this is due to the amount of parking they are trying to fit on the site.... a great example of why parking requirements are so detrimental. It looks like a dense, mixed use strip mall, which is better than a regular strip mall, but still.... I guess this is hopeful, and may encourage others to improve on the design.... (perhaps by actually looking at how the Brookside shops are laid out, how much parking is allowed, and try to encourage city officials to reduce parking requirements while improving mass transit service in the area).

Post by **KCMax** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:46 pm

I guess I like the trend of the suburbs at least trying some high density faux urban areas. On the other hand, if Aixois wanted an are a little more urban, why not try opening a place in the Crossroads? If they weren't that high on South JoCo, why even take the plunge there?

voltopt · Post by **voltopt** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:17 pm

while an improvement over conventional strip malls, this project is still a strip mall. it continues to reinforce the 50 year old design paradigm of "separation of uses."
even with some mixed use on the site, this project does not look integrated into the residential fabric of mission road near I-435. i doubt there will be more than a couple of access points into the development, keeping it separate from the neighboring single family houses. the thing is, for it to truly be "brookside in leawood" then it should seamlessly integrate itself into the greater neighborhood, with housing, parks, schools, tennis courts, transit, and many through streets. instead, it looks like a strip mall surrounded by parking with a central spine similar to an indoor shopping mall without a roof that happens to have local shopes instead of nick & jakes or what have you.

knucklehead · Post by **knucklehead** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 1:24 pm

Personally, I think the second rendering looks hideous. Just a series of appartment buildings surounded by asphalt. What is urban about that?

warwickland · Post by **warwickland** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:09 pm

knucklehead wrote: Personally, I think the second rendering looks hideous. Just a series of appartment buildings surounded by asphalt. What is urban about that?

yeah, that does not look urbane at all.

what is that body of water, btw?

Post by **KCMax** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 3:32 pm

A manmade lake that they will build.

warwickland · Post by **warwickland** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 4:38 pm

i think that they should possibly rework that central main street into a real parisan style boulevard with through and local lanes and on street parking on one or both sides of the local lanes, and actually integrate the development into the municipal grid and not as a fancy pad site (im guessing thats what they will do?) basically, what voltopt said..

midtown guy · Post by **midtown guy** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 5:57 pm

I have mixed feelings about this thing. On the one hand, it's nice that people are making an attempt at a mixed use development, using brick instead of whatever crap strip-malls are made out of that look horrible after about 20 years. I also like that it appears that suburbanites actually want locally owned restaurants vs only eating at Applebees and Outback Steakhouse -- but it seems like having a unique restaurant vs Axious South would make more sense and give it a unique feel vs taking what someone else has and putting it out in Leawood.

But what this seems to me is an attempt to make a suburban area urban and manufacture the character that exists in an urban environment like Brookside, the Crossroads, etc. None of the ones so far (legends/Zona rosa/town center) have even come close to generating the same urban character. You can't manufacture charm...or the types of characters (people) who live and frequent these urban areas. If basically you're left with a brand new building, surrounded by nothing but 45 year old white people who make six-figure salaries, you might as well just build a strip mall...or, better yet, invest the money into real urban neighborhoods that are dilapidated and would be awsome urban centers if the money was invested there.

voltopt · Post by **voltopt** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 9:32 am

i agree. i know they are chasing the market and trying to invent suburb urbanism but there are perfectly good retail buildings lining troost (or even main street) that could provide a basis for entire neighborhoods of true urban quality. i don't think the problems of the "inner city" are insurmountable or impossible - i think large groups like the ones building "brookside" in leawood should pool their resources and invest their money in concentrated efforts at high yield intersections. you would be surprised how quickly areas can change with capital. there are many issues in the city, but our inner city is such a low-scale, suburban and desolate one that i can't imagine how it wouldn't be easy to redevelop blocks of houses and businesses along troost in midtown without much difficulty. not that that is what we are talking about.

ComandanteCero · Post by **ComandanteCero** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:15 am

looks like "Mission Farms West" is moving along in the development process, having face the planning commission yesterday, they will be facing the city council in august:

Mission Farms West would sit on 24 acres on the northwest corner of Interstate 435 and Mission Road, currently zoned for single-family homes. It would be rezoned to mixed-use.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascit ... 014653.htm

edit: also, is it possible that the thread title could be renamed to something like "Mission Farms: Brookside in Leawood?", just so we can put Mission Farms related stuff on this thread (i.e make this the defacto mission farms thread?).

KC_Fan · Post by **KC_Fan** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 2:07 pm

voltopt wrote: instead, it looks like a strip mall surrounded by parking with a central spine similar to an indoor shopping mall without a roof that happens to have local shopes instead of nick & jakes or what have you.

FYI : Nick and Jake's is local. Where's the local love man?!

StL_Dan · Post by **StL_Dan** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 11:57 am

Point me to the link if this has already been discussed...

If not, what is the near completed construction project north of 435, east of Mission Road? It looks like high end apartments or condominiums.

Either way, the two giant buildings stick out like a sore thumb since no other structures of any size are near, but the design itsself is quite attractive.

jimb · Post by **jimb** » Tue Jan 09, 2007 12:07 pm

Its call Mission Farms and is being discussed here:

http://www.kcskyscrapers.com/newforum/i ... pic=9420.0

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