Gardner city officials are reviewing a sprawling proposal that would turn 335 acres along Interstate 35 into a regional entertainment and education hub, anchored by an indoor concert venue with room for 15,000 fans. The plan calls for a mixed-use development with restaurants and other businesses on a site positioned west of I-35 and north of 175th Street in Gardner, Kansas, roughly 30 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City.
The proposal comes from Velocity Arts LLC, and it was first detailed in a news release covered by KSHB 41. Per that release, the Velocity Arts master plan is designed to create opportunities for residents, visitors, students and businesses while establishing Gardner as a regional destination for entertainment, learning and community gathering. Velocity Arts CEO Josh Shibler said the company's goal is to give people a chance to have a variety of experiences, according to the same release.
Todd Winters, speaking for the city in that release, said Gardner is excited about the opportunity to welcome the proposed project and its potential economic and entertainment opportunities. The station's report notes that Velocity Arts did not respond to a request for more information about the project, and the City of Gardner deferred comment to the developer.
Design Team Includes a Kansas City Sports-Venue Giant
Beyond the 15,000-seat indoor concert pavilion, Velocity Arts' plan includes a performing arts center, an esports arena and an accredited music and media college meant to give students hands-on experience inside a working entertainment district, per the developer. For the project's design and construction, Velocity Arts selected Kansas City-based Populous, known globally for sports and entertainment venue design, as master planner and architect, with McCownGordon serving as construction manager and Kimley-Horn as civil engineer.
The site sits along what has become an active growth corridor at the I-35 and 175th Street interchange. Just east of the interstate, the 58-acre Clare Crossing project — whose terms the Gardner City Council accepted on Monday, Aug. 4, 2025, to add more than 250 housing units along with retail and hospitality space, according to the Shawnee Mission Post — is another development along the corridor.
City Council Signs Off on Reviewing the Project
On March 16, the Gardner City Council adopted Resolution No. 2190, authorizing a formal review and analysis of the proposed project, according to the City of Gardner.
Under Kansas law, STAR bonds use future sales-tax revenue to pay for large-scale tourism and entertainment projects, with the state paying for the projects rather than creating new taxes, as explained by The Beacon. Eligibility for that financing requires a project to demonstrate it can draw regional and out-of-state visitors, a bar Velocity Arts would need to clear given the scale of what it's proposing.
Growth Corridor Faces a Traffic Bottleneck
Gardner's population grew 14.13% between the 2020 Census and 2026 estimates, climbing from 23,429 to an estimated 26,739 residents, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The city's population has a median age of 30.7 and a median household income of $96,818, according to census estimates from 2024.
Road access around the project site is part of the area's development context.
An Arena Built to Rival Downtown Kansas City
At a planned capacity of 15,000 indoor seats, Velocity's concert venue would be a substantial indoor venue. The proposed facility would provide an indoor setting for concerts and other entertainment programming.
Key project questions include the total project cost, the split between private equity and public bond financing, the timing of public hearings, and how the I-35 and 175th Street interchange would handle traffic from Velocity and Clare Crossing.
