Council approves Rush Funplex preliminary plan with alternate east-facade design after safety and drainage questions

The Lee Summit City Council approved a preliminary development plan for a Rush Funplex entertainment complex at 900 Northwest Ward Road on June 2, adopting the planning commission's alternate design for the building's east facade.

Developers and architects presented the plan in a public hearing where Steve Rich of Towns and Capital described the 10.1-acre site as the final parcel in the Summit Orchards West development and the location for a roughly 76,000—77,000-square-foot family entertainment complex and adjacent flexible office/retail buildings. Rich and his team said they arranged the building footprint to avoid relocating legacy underground utilities and that public improvements recommended by city staff and traffic engineers would be completed by the developer.

Matt Girky, introduced as president and CEO of Rush Funplex, told the council the operator's background is family-focused entertainment with a large hourly-pass business model; he said the typical product is a three-hour pass sold online or at a counter and that the facility uses employees stationed at activity venues to maintain safety. Architect Scott Slaggy described changes made after planning-commission direction, including a revised marquee corner and lighting patterning to add pedestrian interest.

Planning staff told the council the applicant requested a modification to the Unified Development Ordinance's pedestrian glazing expectation on the east facade. The original prototype showed about 1.67% clear glass in the pedestrian zone; in response to planning commission direction the applicant increased that visible fenestration to roughly 7% on the first 10 feet of the facade and added architectural elements. Staff presented two alternatives — the original prototype and the alternate with more glazing and a marquee — and said the council could approve either.

Council members focused questions on public safety and operations. Council Member Prior asked whether the operator had a security plan for busy weekend nights; an operator representative said the business's safety reputation depends on proactive staffing and that private security plans have been discussed and would be used if necessary. Other council members pressed for details about drop-off and waiting areas for parents, whether the buildings would be constructed simultaneously, and how parking needs were established. The applicant said parking estimates were informed by data from Rush Funplex's 10 existing locations and that the design allows shared parking across the adjacent parcels.

Two members of the public spoke during the hearing. One urged caution about crime impacts and requested call-volume data from nearby cities to help the council assess local policing costs; another resident asked about stormwater runoff. In reply the applicant said the original Summit Orchards development had previously dedicated more than 16 acres in the northeast corner of the project to the stormwater association and that those facilities were designed to handle runoff from future phases.

Mayor Pro Tem Tim Shields moved approval of the preliminary development plan (second reading of bill 26-101), including the planning-commission alternate design condition specifying the east facade follow the design presented to council on June 2. The motion carried unanimously as recorded in the meeting (vote recorded 9-0).

What happens next: The adopted preliminary development plan and the alternate east-facade condition instruct staff and the applicant on the form and materials for final development steps. Additional permits and technical plan checks (engineering, stormwater, right-of-way permits and building permits) must be completed before site work begins. The applicant said it hopes to begin construction in the near term and to open the facility within roughly a year of breaking ground.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the meeting transcript and are attributed by the names or roles used in the hearing.

Ending: The council closed the public hearing after the vote and returned to the regular session to complete the evening's remaining business.