Leavenworth commissioners have agreed to push forward with a vote on a roughly 50-acre STAR Bond district stretching along 4th Street, covering the long-vacant Leavenworth Plaza Mall and the city-owned Abeles Field. The final vote is set for Oct. 27, but so far the state has only cleared the area as eligible for the financing tool — not the actual project, and no tenants have signed on.
According to KCTV, the proposed district spans two key properties: the old mall site at 4th and Idaho streets and Abeles Field at 4th and Poplar streets, which has sat unused since 2018. Current plans call for a mix of retail, fast food and possibly a sit-down restaurant at the mall site, with additional large-format retail planned just south of it. Abeles Field, meanwhile, is where the project's required “major tourist attraction” and other smaller retail are slated to go, though the station notes no specific attraction has been finalized.
STAR Bond financing is the same tool that recently drew statewide attention over the Kansas City Chiefs' stadium project. If approved, the Leavenworth proposal would bring mixed-use retail, restaurants and entertainment to a stretch of 4th Street that has sat largely dormant for years.
A Former Mall Landmark, Remembered
City Commissioner and former mayor Holly Pittman recalled what used to anchor the site, saying the former mall had a movie theater, ice cream and a Baskin-Robbins. Pittman said the Abeles Field attraction being envisioned would be something original that's nowhere else in Kansas, per the same report.
The city first announced it was pursuing a STAR Bond application in 2025 and later published an FAQ addressing questions about the proposed project. Despite that groundwork, the station's report makes clear that no tenants have signed on yet, and Kansas has approved only the general area as eligible for STAR Bond financing — not the specific project itself.
A Long Regulatory Road Ahead
Even with Tuesday's commission action, several steps remain before any shovels hit dirt. The developer must still submit a full plan to the Kansas Department of Commerce that includes the signature tourist attraction, after which a third-party consultant hired by Commerce conducts a feasibility study examining whether the project will draw enough visitors and generate enough revenue to support the requested incentive debt service.
Only after the Commerce secretary signs off on that plan can the developer start lining up the rest of the project's shops and restaurants, the station's report notes. Businesses would then sign informal letters of intent to move in if financing comes through, with sales tax revenue from those businesses helping repay bonds for the larger project. The completed project plan would then go back to the city commission for another public hearing and vote, as state law requires.
Even if commissioners approve that plan, the project still needs bond investors willing to finance it before any bonds are actually issued. Attorney Mark Abbott, who represents Leavenworth Destination Development, LLC, said bond issuance is likely in the first quarter of 2027 if the feasibility study, project-plan hearing and planning commission meeting are all completed on schedule.
Ray Miller Park Held Back, For Now
Ray Miller Park is not part of the current proposal, though a separate, future phase of the project could eventually include it. City officials said that site faces additional state and federal redevelopment restrictions, setting it apart from the mall and Abeles Field properties now under consideration.
Not everyone involved is ready to call the outcome settled. Mike Peterson said the project is not guaranteed and that coordination with the Department of Commerce is ongoing, a caution echoed throughout the city's own public messaging on the proposal.
Kansas's Mixed Track Record With STAR Bonds
STAR Bonds are ultimately paid off through sales tax revenue generated by the development, with the state's intent being to boost regional and national visitation, according to the Kansas Department of Commerce. But the tool carries real fiscal tradeoffs: a state audit from the Legislative Division of Post Audit found that the state gives up significant tax revenue to help repay the bonds, and a break-even analysis of three selected STAR Bond attractions underscored that fiscal impact.
Over the 25-year history of STAR Bonds in Kansas, outcomes have varied widely — some projects paid off early, while others closed before their bonds were ever retired, according to a separate KCTV report. Lawmakers have even pointed to Topeka's old White Lakes Mall as a talking point while weighing a STAR Bond proposal meant to help redevelop malls elsewhere, as reported by the Topeka Capital-Journal. That history looms over Leavenworth's bid as commissioners head toward their Oct. 27 vote, with the fate of the old mall and Abeles Field still resting on approvals, studies and financing that haven't yet come together.
