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  Kaylie McLaughlin  - Overland Park

$2B Brookridge project in Overland Park officially breaks ground

Nearly a decade after first being proposed and four years after winning a controversial incentive package from the city, the $2 billion project to redevelop Brookridge Golf and Fitness near

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Nearly a decade after first being proposed and four years after winning a controversial incentive package from the city, the $2 billion project to redevelop Brookridge Golf and Fitness near I-435 and Antioch Road in Overland Park is finally moving ahead. 

While some early construction had already begun, the project — now dubbed Meridian — officially got started Tuesday with a ceremonial groundbreaking. 

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog, Johnson County Chair Mike Kelly and other state and local leaders lauded the redevelopment effort, highlighting expansive mixed residential and commercial elements developer Curtin Property Co. has planned at the site.

“We have eagerly anticipated the opportunity to celebrate this day with this ceremonial turn of dirt. Our current and future residents want the sense of community that comes from places where they can live, work and play,” Skoog said, calling the project “innovative.” 

In coming years, it’s sure to be one of the most watched developments in Johnson County, not only for its size — nearly 200 acres — but also for the amount of public incentives bestowed on the project.

State and local leaders broke ground on the Brookridge redevelopment project on Tuesday. The project, now called Meridian, will bring several thousand square feet of new development near I-435 and Antioch Road in Overland Park. Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.

Brookridge is one of Kansas’ largest projects 

  • Multiple phases are planned, and construction is set to be stretched out over several years on the golf course and clubhouse property. 
  • Once completed Meridian should feature millions of square feet of new construction for residential, retail, dining and office use while leaving several acres of open green space. 
  • Phase 1, on track to wrap up by 2025,  is expected to include more than 300 apartments and nearly 13,000 square feet of retail. 
  • Valued at roughly $2 billion, Meridian marks one of Kansas’ largest projects, second only to a new Panasonic EV battery plant being built in De Soto. 
  • Gov. Kelly said it is “one of the greatest and most ambitious mixed-use developments in Kansas history,” ahead of the groundbreaking Tuesday, adding that the project “reflects the spirit of the new Kansas.” 
Gov. Laura Kelly at the Brookridge groundbreaking in Overland Park.
Gov. Laura Kelly at the Brookridge groundbreaking. Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.

State, local incentives back Brookridge project

  • Nearly four years ago, Overland Park approved roughly $200 million in tax incentives for the Brookridge redevelopment, much to the consternation of some residents and councilmembers who characterized the deal as a giveaway to developers. 
  • Neighboring residents staunchly opposed the project, showing up to city council meetings for years as plans wound their way through the approval process, voicing concerns about the redevelopment’s impact on everything from traffic flow to the local flood plain.
  • The city’s final incentive package included a special community improvement taxing district, bonds and tax increment financing, or TIF, districts. 
  • The Kansas Department of Transportation also approved $8 million for infrastructure improvements in the area necessary to support this effort from its economic development grant program. 
  • Plus, the project received $10 million ​​Building a Stronger Economy grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce. 

More on this: Here’s where Overland Park’s Brookridge development stands