Two derelict hotels that became an eyesore and crime magnet near Shawnee Mission Parkway and Metcalf Avenue are back on track to be torn down, this time with a hard deadline of Nov. 30.
Actions by the Overland Park City Council put the Metcalf Crossing project – which will bring a self storage building, car wash and office space to the site – back on track Monday. The developer, Wes Grammer, also has until Feb. 1, 2020 to begin construction.
Council members were excited about the development and the prospect of bulldozing the hotels when the development was first brought forward more than a year ago. But in the months that have passed and as the development plans have changed, their enthusiasm has morphed into resignation. A few expressed regret Monday that the city did not prepare a vision plan for the Shawnee Mission Parkway corridor at Metcalf, a northern gateway to the city.
