Johnson County apartments under construction re-branding in homage to former Mission Bowl

Construction of a new $41 million, luxury apartment complex in Mission will bring much needed housing to the northeast Johnson County area, including some units set aside for affordable housing.

Currently dubbed The Residence of Rock Creek, the Sunflower Development Group is in the process of re-branding the project to the The Lanes at Mission Bowl to reflect the nostalgia of building on the site of the former bowling alley Mission Bowl, which burned down in 2015.

The 4-story building will have 176 units comprising of studio, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. One three-bedroom unit will be available on the top floor.

“I would consider it a penthouse,” said Banks Floodman, a partner and Director of Real Estate Development for Sunflower Development Group. “It will have about 1,500 square feet,” he said.

The apartments will have nine and ten-foot high ceilings, in-unit washers and dryers, upgraded appliances, and high-end cabinetry.

“They’ll be class-A apartments,” said Floodman. “I mean it’ll have all the amenities, quartz counter tops, you name it, it’ll have it.” The developer is reserving 20 percent of the units for affordable housing for families with incomes at 60 percent of the area median income (AMI).

The apartment complex at 5399 Martway St. is next to the Mission Mart Shopping Center and the Mission Transit Center. “The biggest thing is probably the close proximity to a lot of different options, “ said Floodman. “If you want to get downtown it’s about 12, 13 minutes, if you want to get to the Plaza, you know, you’re 5 to 10 minutes away,” he said. “It’s kind of close to everything.”

The amenities will be plentiful and include meeting and work rooms, fitness areas, a coffee bar, a dog concierge, a dog park, a theater/game room, bike repair and storage. The building will also have a pool built on the second floor.

Here is the current rent structure:
Studio Pricing $1,130-$1,400
One bedroom/one bath $1,225-$1,725
Two bedroom/two bath $1,475-$2,700
Three bedroom/two bath $3,000 plus
Live/work units-starting at $2,600

In a nod to the old Mission Bowl, the developer is incorporating shelving in every kitchen that was created using wood salvaged from the old bowling lanes at Mission Bowl. “I think it ends up being about 345 shelves,” said Floodman.

The City of Mission occupies a mere 2.67 square miles, yet it currently has 19 apartment buildings.

“Mission really only has a couple newer apartment complexes,” said Floodman. “Most of Mission’s apartments were built two or three decades ago,” he said.

The new complex with its’ high-end amenities will offer another option for those who choose to rent. “We just like Mission, as a whole,” he said. “We just like the schools, we like the environment, we like Johnson Drive and all the things that are happening on Johnson Drive.”

The Locale, another luxury apartment complex, opened in 2020, at 6201 Johnson Dr. It was Mission’s first Class-A luxury apartment building with 201 apartment units and some space for mixed-use including a restaurant.

Sunflower Development has submitted another development application to the city for a Phase II development which would be located to the east of the apartments currently under construction. The second phase would include a residential apartment structure with about 96 units and with a small retail component. In August, the Mission City Council approved the preliminary development plan.

A parking structure located below the building will provide parking for residents and will have spaces for 208 vehicles. It will be a secured lot with the entrance on Martway Street. The building will have a silver LEED status when completed. First Construction of Lawrence is the general contractor. CT Design + Development of Lawrence and ICON Architecture + Fabrication of Kansas City, were the architectural firms on the project.

Read the original, full article at: The Kansas City Star