July 10, 2021

By Mallory Herrmann
Staff Reporter

Summit Point Apartments will build a second phase, expanding the complex on NE Chimpan Road by 144 units.

The city council voted to approve the preliminary development plan for the project, which will include six new buildings, a new clubhouse and a larger swimming pool.

The first phase was completed in the mid-1980s and included 100 units.

“I guess it’s time – 30 years later – to get phase II built,” Lance Scott said. Scott, of Cook, Flatt, & Strobel Engineers, gave a brief presentation of the project on behalf of the applicant, Canyon View Properties. Though the project is owned by a different legal entity than the existing complex and will sit on a different lot, Scott emphasized that it is the same parent owner.

Councilmember Diane Forte asked whether any remodeling would be done to the existing buildings to keep them in line with the new units. Scott said that he was not aware of any significant renovation plans beyond standard upkeep.

“I’m assuming that they’re making some tenant improvements to keep everybody happy,” Scott said.

Councilmember Phyllis Edson asked city staff about the current supply and demand of apartment units in Lee’s Summit.

Ryan Elam, director of development services, referred to a May 2017 study that had determined an overall demand of 6,776 units in the city by 2027. At that time, there was an overall supply of 4,457 units – that number included not just existing units and those under construction, but also those that had been approved by the city council.

According to July 2021 data, there are 4,317 existing units and another 338 under construction. An additional 2,299 units have been approved, though Elam noted that some of those projects haven’t had any movement in years.

The city council voted unanimously to approve the project at their July 6 meeting. Mayor Pro Tem Beto Lopez and Councilmember Andrew Felker were absent.