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Council approves amended Blue Hawk project plan, clearing way for Phase Two STAR bond request
Summary
The Overland Park City Council approved an amended and restated Blue Hawk project plan and development agreement changes that reframe upcoming work as "Phase Two," add specific indoor and outdoor sports amenities, and increase the STAR bond request from about $70.6 million to $86.8 million.
The Overland Park City Council on a unanimous vote approved an amended and restated project plan and parallel amendment to the Blue Hawk development agreement that formalize a newly defined Phase Two of the multisport complex and update the project's financial request.
Jim Mossiman, serving as special counsel to the city for the project, outlined the Phase Two program, saying "it's going to entail they're going to, there's going to be an additional sheet of ice, regulation sheet of ice," and listing additional amenities including indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, an off-ice hockey skills area, sports entertainment bays with tech-infused training, a 27-hole outdoor mini golf course and roughly 18,500 square feet of turf and programming space. The amendment also describes a three- to four-level structured parking garage with about 340–380 stalls.
The project plan reduces the planned retail and restaurant footprint from roughly 536,000 square feet to about 506,000 square feet, increases office space from 80,000 to 100,000 square feet and trims the multisport facility from about 435,000 to about 409,000 square feet. Mossiman told the council the developer now requests STAR bond proceeds rising from about $70.6 million to $86.8 million, and the project plan projects annual visitation at about 1.2 million visitors going forward.
Council members had a brief question-and-answer exchange with staff and counsel about how STAR bonds function and the state's role; Mossiman explained STAR bonds are a state‑run program that require Department of Commerce approval and use sales tax generated inside a defined STAR bond district to repay bondholders over time. No public speakers objected at the hearing and the ordinance adopting the amended plan (SB3233C) passed by unanimous roll call.
Looking ahead, the accompanying development agreement amendment adds performance milestones tied to construction: if STAR bonds are approved, staff materials list construction commencement as Nov. 1, 2026, and completion by October 2028, and the amendments update completion guarantees and modify PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes) payment amounts that will be set in the final agreement.
