Park Place unveils first phase

From the article:

Leawood Mayor Peggy Dunn hailed Park Place as the future of downtown Leawood.

"When it's completed it will truly create the center of our town, so to speak, " Dunn said. "An area where people can come together and really build that spirit of community and gather for celebrations and it will be extremely pedestrian-friendly."

Dunn said the project has been worth the wait.

"It takes time to be very deliberate and precise with all of the decisions that go into it," Dunn said.

Developers Melanie Mann and Jeff Alpert, who have moved their offices to Park Place, said the development's debut is the first step in the realization of their vision.

"It's very exciting," Alpert said. "Our motivation for developing is really to create places that people can enjoy, and whether it's a subdivision for their home or places they can shop that's really our underlying motivation and what keeps us going in the business.

"The fact that we were able to see people walking up and down the streets and in and out of the shops and eating in the restaurants...it just validates all the time and effort we've put into it over these last seven years."

When complete, Park Place will boast 200,000 square feet of retail space, 350,000 square feet of Class A office space, up to 350 residential units between condominiums and townhomes, and two concept hotels with a total of 298 rooms. There will also be a park and an outdoor ice rink.

The hotels will be Leawood's first.

"What makes Park Place so special for Leawood, or what would make it special for any community, is the fact that it does have a senes of place and a place where people can come and stroll the streets, enjoy sidewalk dining or take advantage of some of the unique programming we'll have in our parks," Alpert said. "These are all unique amenities for any city and particularly for Leawood."