The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas will keep negotiating with developer Eastside Innovation over a $1.15 billion plan to transform the long-vacant Indian Springs Mall site near Interstate 635 and State Avenue, even though the two sides still have not settled how to structure tax incentives or finalize a payment schedule for the land.
The continued talks, reported by The Business Journals, mark the latest chapter in a redevelopment saga that has dragged on for years and ballooned in cost. The proposed Midtown Station development could bring more than 2,000 housing units to the site, according to the same report, continuing a vision that has shifted repeatedly since the project was first announced.
A Price Tag That Keeps Climbing
When the Unified Government picked Eastside Innovation’s proposal from a pool of three candidates in November 2024, the project carried a price tag of $700 million, as reported by The Kansas City Star. By June 2026, that figure had grown to more than $1 billion amid inflation and changes in the project’s scope, the Star reported. The project’s estimated cost continued to rise through 2026. The $1.15 billion figure now attached to the project reflects the latest estimate reported this week.
The scale of what’s envisioned has remained ambitious even as the dollar figures moved. The Star has described the proposed Midtown Station development as including roughly 2,000 apartments, a grocery store, a hotel, retail space and a solar micro grid to generate electricity. Eastside has planned the project in five phases, with the first phase alone including 65,000 square feet of retail space, more than 600 units of housing and 30,000 square feet of gathering space, per the Star’s reporting.
Land Price and Payment Terms Remain Sticking Points
At the center of the holdup is a disagreement over what the roughly 90-acre property off State Avenue and Interstate 635 should actually sell for. As of a June 2026 commission meeting, the Unified Government wanted $6 million for the land, while Eastside had closed much of that gap with a $5.9 million offer, the Star reported. The two sides have also clashed over payment terms: Eastside proposed five increasing payments starting at $750,000, while the Unified Government countered with five equal payments of $1.2 million, according to the same reporting…