NEAR I-29 AND 64TH STREET
Driving down N. Chatham Avenue this week, backhoe loaders, motor graders, and excavators may catch your eye. Crews have been moving dirt and flattening surfaces in preparation for several planned construction projects.
The 5.86-acre composition of soil and flora is located at the northeast corner of Chatham Avenue and NW Prairie View Road. Recently, three new businesses have received the go-ahead from the City of Kansas City on their proposed development adjacent to Wendy’s, McDonald’s, and Bank of the West, near I-29 and 64th Street.
Sherae Honeycutt, press secretary for the City of Kansas City, said a plan to construct a five-story hotel with 94 guest rooms and 70,000 square feet of floor space has been approved by the city.
The hotel will be a WoodSpring Suites Hotel owned by Choice Hotels, which franchises more than 7,400 hotels, with four properties in Kansas and three in Missouri.
WoodSpring Suites is an extended-stay economy hotel brand featuring “smartly-designed suites” with in-room kitchens.
Hoteliers say Platte County hotels have seen a rebound in occupancy since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, coupled with the opening of the new single terminal airport.
The topography of the area’s southernmost southeast corner, not far from where the proposed hotel will be constructed, is slightly slanted. Last year, a homeless settlement was evicted from the area. Trash and debris were removed from the encampment with dump trucks and backhoe loaders.
Wes Rogers, newly-elected member of the city council of Kansas City and a former member of the Missouri General Assembly, told The Landmark: “I remember this area having a Paradise Grill. This area has been developed for years and sometimes struggled to have the right tenants there. Hopefully, this is the right occupant that will flourish.”
Plans call for adjacent tracts of land to the north and west to be developed into a PetSuites as well as a car wash known as The Better Wash. With its 200-foot car wash tunnel and complimentary compressed air and free vacuums, the car wash chain has been gaining popularity in the Northland.
The Better Wash will be situated on 1.66 acres located at 6301 N Chatham Avenue.
It is unknown what effect these new projects will have on traffic flow in the area. Since the reconfiguration of Prairie View Road, some nearby residents have raised concerns over increased traffic along Chatham. A traffic study was not required prior to the businesses’ request for approval, no recent traffic study has been conducted.