Overland Park's city council has approved up to $5 million in bonds to fund infrastructure improvements at the former Brookridge golf course, pushing forward a $2 billion mixed-use redevelopment that has sat largely dormant since developers first pitched it in 2014. The vote marks the latest turning point for a 212-acre site where vertical construction has yet to begin, nearly three years after an initial groundbreaking ceremony.
According to the Kansas City Star, developer Curtin Property Co. proposed transforming the former 18-hole golf course into a mixed-use development including roughly 2,000 apartments, 1.8 million square feet of office space, a hotel, retail space, and a 3,500-seat performance hall. The city council first approved a proposal for the project in 2019, alongside a $200 million incentive deal, but the plan has since faced repeated delays, deadline extensions, and modifications. Curtin Property Co. has requested three amendments to its development agreement over that span, with the city council approving a fourth request for modifications as recently as July.
The newly approved bond financing centers on the project's first vertical phase: a 317-unit apartment complex with 12,596 square feet of ground-floor retail, expected to be completed by October 1, 2029. That timeline lines up with details reported by the Johnson County Post, which describes the phase as a $120 million joint venture between Curtin Property Co. and EPC Real Estate. Curtin Property Co. requested $117 million in economic development revenue bonds to help finance the work, per the Star.
A Decade of Pushback and Delay
Financial issues and construction challenges have stalled the Brookridge project for years, and the commencement date for the broader redevelopment has already been pushed back once, from July 31, 2026, to July 31, 2027. Residents opposed the original proposal for nearly five years, raising concerns about worsening flooding, a lack of affordable housing, and the use of tax dollars to support private development, the Star reports.
Flooding worries are not new. When Curtin Property Co. first pitched the project in 2014, residents raised concerns about flooding. During public hearings this year, residents voiced frustration about the long-stalled project.
A March 25, 2015, City of Overland Park Public Works Committee record shows the 103rd Street and Connell storm drainage project was under construction while work was occurring at the Brookridge Golf Course.
Financing Structure and Recent Council Action
By July 6, the Overland Park City Council had approved five interrelated measures restructuring Economic Development Revenue Bonds to be issued on a project-by-project basis with milestones stretching through 2038, according to Citizen Portal. The restructuring also secured developer concessions, including a prohibition on drive-thru businesses within the development. The project's two Community Improvement Districts apply a 1.5% special sales tax within their boundaries, projected to generate approximately $47 million over their lifetimes to reimburse eligible developer costs, the Johnson County Post reported in 2023. The Kansas Legislature's 2025 State of Kansas Debt Study notes that it does not include any STAR Bonds that may be issued pursuant to House Bill 2001 from 2024, illustrating a limitation in some statewide debt reporting.
The first vertical phase remains subject to financing hurdles. Curtin Property Co. has already completed about $4.2 million in infrastructure work at 103rd Street and Antioch Road and plans to invest an additional $800,000 at the site, per the Star's reporting.
State Backing and Flood Mitigation Plans
State support for the project dates back to August 2023, when Kansas Governor Laura Kelly joined Curtin Property Co. for a ceremonial groundbreaking on the site, rebranded as “Meridian.” Kelly announced $18 million in state grants at the time, including $10 million from the Department of Commerce's BASE program and $8 million from the Kansas Department of Transportation, according to the Office of the Governor of Kansas.
Flooding along Indian Creek has been a persistent concern for nearby residents, and civil engineering firm GBA has designed stormwater site plans modifying roughly 4,600 feet of Indian Creek and 2,500 feet of an adjacent tributary to create a revised flood model for the property. The 200-acre development would have more than 100 acres of usable green space, including a future 42-acre park and a 2-acre park with an event space. A City of Overland Park mitigation-plan document says projects are designed to protect buildings up to the 100-year storm and notes that new studies and mapping were to be adopted in 2009.
Overland Park has created TIF and STAR bond districts. Whether Curtin Property Co. secures the remaining private equity, whether the flood mitigation work holds up, and whether the first apartment building actually opens by its 2029 target all remain open questions for a project that has already tested the patience of Overland Park residents for more than a decade.
