Developer Wants to Build a 335-acre Mixed-Use District in Gardner, KS

Posted August 18, 2026

A developer has released plans for a new 355-acre entertainment district in Gardner, Kansas.

Developer Velocity Arts, LLC revealed renderings of its new proposed mixed-use entertainment district that would include a 15,000-seat concert pavilion, a performing arts center, an esports-capable arena and a corporate presentation stage.

On Monday, the Gardner City Council reviewed the memorandum for the project. The total cost of the new district is estimated to be around $1.55 billion.

The Developer is seeking a mix of incentives asl well as STAR bonds for the project. Velocity requested a 2% Community Improvement District sales tax, a 1% sales tax or special assessments through Transportation Development District financing and Industrial Revenue Bonds for a tax exception on building materials.

The proposed 335-acre mixed-use district would be located along the I-35 corridor near 175th Street, approximately 30 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City.

A full-service hotel with a spa, convention facilities and rooftop event space is also planned, with access to a lagoon, vacation villas, apartment residences and student housing. These features would be connected to a central Main Street that would incorporate open-air retail, a covered shopping gallery, a food hall, restaurants and a full-service grocer.

The district is designed to be experienced on foot as one continuous place rather than a collection of separate buildings, according to the developer’s website.

Populous is the master planner & designer, McCownGordon is the construction manager and Kimley-Horn will serve as the civil engineer for the project.

The Gardner City Planning Commission is scheduled to review the proposal on Aug. 24. If approved, the Gardner City Council will review it on Sept. 21.