New Walmart Revives $200M Mission Gateway Project

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

The Mission Gateway project is finally back on track, as The Kansas City Star reports developer Tom Valenti, of the Cameron Group of Syracuse, N.Y., announced Walmart’s signing of a letter of intent to introduce a 150,000-square-foot store in the $200 million project. He said that securing the big discount retailer as the major tenant was the “rocket fuel” needed to kick-start the project.

The 990,000-square-foot mixed-use development is located in the heart of Kansas City and aims to be the epicenter of activity for the inner-ring Johnson County suburbs.

Red Brokerage L.L.C. will be handling the office brokerage; according to the revised project plan posted on its Web site the development will include:

• 140 high-end residential units with exclusive parking;
• A 75,000-square-foot aquarium with more than 2.5 million gallons of water;
• An eight-screen, 1,100-seat cinema;
• 215,000 square feet of retail space that will include restaurants and a fitness center;
• A 150-room full-service hotel;
• 425,000 square feet of Class A office space.

Initial plans back in 2004 called for the demolition of Mission Center and replacement by a 203,000-square-foot Super Walmart, but the plan was opposed by residents. In 2005, Valenti bought the property and announced his plans for a mixed-use development, and in 2008 the aquarium was added to help make the center a regional attraction. The project was stalled, mainly due to the recession.