Although downtown Topeka revitalization efforts have been at the forefront of Topeka’s renaissance, several of the city’s blighted retail and entertainment strip mall centers are also receiving extensive makeovers.
Although downtown Topeka revitalization efforts have been at the forefront of Topeka’s renaissance, several of the city’s blighted retail and entertainment strip mall centers are also receiving extensive makeovers designed to boost the capital city’s curb appeal and spur economic growth. Benefiting from fresh facades and store configurations, the revitalized spaces throughout southwest Topeka are a welcome development as new and expanding businesses populate the refurbished properties alongside established enterprises.
Work will be underway in August and into 2020 on Phase One of Sherwood Crossing, including replacing the roof and upgrading the strip mall’s appearance with new signage, storefronts and landscaping.
One new tenant, Big Biscuit, a popular regional Kansas City-based breakfast chain, has already signed on as a complement to the location’s existing tenants.
Fred E. Niemann IV, an attorney and director of development and acquisitions for Christie Development LLC in Overland Park, Kansas, is a principal of 29th Street Partners LLC, which was established to oversee the Sherwood Crossing project.
The shopping center currently has a 35 percent vacancy rate, resulting in deferred maintenance challenges that 29th Street Partners LLC is addressing. Nieman says removing dated Spanish architectural elements and a tower will assist with rebranding efforts to entice residents to revisit the area as new restaurants and other retailers move in.
“Our current tenants have a blend of leases, many of which are for five years or more, but we still have room to add other businesses to supplement our existing tenant lineup, whom we anticipate staying for years to come,” he says. “The former JoAnn’s fabrics space is about 10,000 square feet. If we can find a tenant that can use that much space, great, but more likely we’ll convert that space to accommodate two or three businesses.”
While exterior remodeling will be undertaken across the strip center’s entire expanse, individual businesses can have input as to how much interior work they want done or how much influence they want to exert in selecting floor and wall coverings, lighting fixtures and more.
“We may have tenants who negotiate with us to perform remodeling work themselves in exchange for lower rent or tenants who have more extensive needs they want our help with,”says Nieman. “If you own a plumbing supply company, you may want to just paint the walls and put up shelves yourself, but if you’re a chicken wing restaurant, then you might want us to install a commercial kitchen for you.”
For Niemann, the most satisfying aspect of revitalizing neglected retail areas is knowing that the effort’s impact is far-reaching.
“The businesses appreciate the boost to their bottom line and people in the community appreciate the opportunity to have more options for dining, shopping or doing other types of business,” he says. “When the project stays on track, the bank gets paid back too, so everyone involved wins.”
“Sometimes when out-of-town developers come into a community with ideas, the mood can be hostile,” says Niemann, “but Topeka’s welcomed us. The mindset is bring your skills and your capital and help us improve this part of town so we can create jobs and build our economy for the whole community.”
Niemann says that the city’s governing bodies have been receptive but still push back on some things to make sure that recipients of competitive tax-increment financing and community improvement district funds deliver on their proposals.
“Topeka has a great city management team (led by Brent Trout and Doug Gerber) and they were very supportive along the way, but there is also a lot of negotiation in order to get to a deal both sides can live with,” Niemann says. “We ask for things we don’t always get, but we understand that there’s pressure on all sides to be in lock- step and do the project right.”
PHASE TWO calls for the addition of at least one, possibly two, freestanding buildings with 20,000 to 35,000 square feet of retail space behind Kansasland Tire and Service with the store entrance facing the strip center, similar to Crosswind Commons (where JoAnn Fabrics relocated) and also to the north of the existing shopping center.
Depending on the company’s leasing reports, Niemann says work on Phase Two would ideally begin in late 2020 and conclude in 2021.
“We’re motivated to see Phase Two implemented because of the financing agreement we received from the City of Topeka,” he says, “but we’re also motivated because we want to see patches of grass turn into businesses that generate jobs and payroll and sales taxes. That’s good for the community and everyone involved.”