Ark Valley News - Plans for Bel Aire commercial development in hands of state official

Plans for Bel Aire commercial development in hands of state official
By Matt Heilman
Last Updated: May 23, 2013

To this point, the City of Bel Aire has fulfilled its responsibilities in pushing for a new downtown commercial development to forever change to landscape of the city.

City Manager Ty Lasher said a third-party study was to be presented to the Kansas Secretary of Commerce this week to determine the advisability of funding the large-scale development with help from state sales tax revenue in the form of STAR bonds. Now, the city is left to wait until the secretary of commerce makes a final decision on whether or not the proposed commercial district, called Caban Marketplace, qualifies as a STAR bond district.

There are also plans for residential development to accompany the commercial expansion.

At its May 21 meeting, the Bel Aire council approved an addendum to a real estate contract with Shopping Center Development Consultants for about 12 acres for an apartment complex, planned southwest of 53rd North and Rock Road.

The addendum extended the contract 90 days. Shopping Center Development Consultants is the developer for Caban Marketplace and the proposed apartment complex. Last fall, Lasher announced Shopping Center Development Consultants has a contract with Hendersonville, Tenn.-based Corson Development Inc. to build the 150-to-200-unit, market-based apartment complex, financed through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development on land neighboring the Central Park community.