Council approves massive Overland Park Plaza 2 package to keep Black & Veatch headquarters in city
September 28, 2026 | Overland Park, Johnson County, Kansas
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City staff presented the Overland Park Plaza 2 redevelopment and the Black & Veatch headquarters proposal and the council approved a set of ordinances and resolutions to implement the package.
Todd LaSala described the development agreement and project plan. Phase 1 is the committed headquarters: a 729,000-square-foot Class A office building with a large parking structure (about 2,600 spaces), roughly 25,000 square feet of commercial space and a daycare. Staff said full buildout across five phases would total about $1.34 billion in development. The redevelopment deal contains several financial and performance elements: an aggregate TIF cap (if fully built and timely) of about $253 million, a phase‑1 TIF cap of $132.5 million, CID and TDD components that start at zero and "earn up" as additional phases are delivered (developer CID cap of $11.6M if earn-up conditions are met), and EDRBs limited to sales tax exemptions on construction materials. Black & Veatch also committed in the agreement to retain at least 2,033 full‑time employees at the building and an average salary of at least $100,000; staff said contractual remedies (including proportional TIF‑cap reductions up to a 40% maximum) apply if those commitments are not met.
Councilmembers emphasized the project's scale and corridor-planning benefits. Councilmember Newland moved the ordinances and resolutions and the council approved them by unanimous roll calls. The development agreement also includes civic contributions and community commitments — a daycare with slots prioritized for city employees when available, an annual donation of no less than $50,000 to the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park (or similar organization), an environmental target (LEED v4 Silver for the headquarters with remedies if certification is not achieved within two years of occupancy), and a $4 million contribution from Black & Veatch to help fund a City Hall gathering space in five annual payments.
Todd LaSala described the development agreement and project plan. Phase 1 is the committed headquarters: a 729,000-square-foot Class A office building with a large parking structure (about 2,600 spaces), roughly 25,000 square feet of commercial space and a daycare. Staff said full buildout across five phases would total about $1.34 billion in development. The redevelopment deal contains several financial and performance elements: an aggregate TIF cap (if fully built and timely) of about $253 million, a phase‑1 TIF cap of $132.5 million, CID and TDD components that start at zero and "earn up" as additional phases are delivered (developer CID cap of $11.6M if earn-up conditions are met), and EDRBs limited to sales tax exemptions on construction materials. Black & Veatch also committed in the agreement to retain at least 2,033 full‑time employees at the building and an average salary of at least $100,000; staff said contractual remedies (including proportional TIF‑cap reductions up to a 40% maximum) apply if those commitments are not met.
Councilmembers emphasized the project's scale and corridor-planning benefits. Councilmember Newland moved the ordinances and resolutions and the council approved them by unanimous roll calls. The development agreement also includes civic contributions and community commitments — a daycare with slots prioritized for city employees when available, an annual donation of no less than $50,000 to the Arts & Recreation Foundation of Overland Park (or similar organization), an environmental target (LEED v4 Silver for the headquarters with remedies if certification is not achieved within two years of occupancy), and a $4 million contribution from Black & Veatch to help fund a City Hall gathering space in five annual payments.
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