A new year is upon us and with it, a new sense of excitement. Lee’s Summit is poised to make large strides in 2020 and the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council is proud to be a part of the progress. This year, we are welcoming a new development to our community with the first stages of the Streets of West Pryor expected to be complete this summer.
The $180 million, 70-acre mixed-use development will bring a wealth of new high-end businesses including two recently announced restaurants, First Watch and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. Both restaurants will be new additions to Lee’s Summit.
They aren’t the only new franchises coming in with Streets of West Pryor. The development will also be anchored by a McKeever’s Market grocery store.
The LSEDC is also continuing in its workforce efforts. LSEDC Director of Business Development, Tina Chace, is participating in the Lee’s Summit R-7 School District’s Citizens Advisory Board. She is also serving on the Summit Technology Academy
Avionics Advisory Board, which will lay the foundation for a new educational track at the school. In addition, Tina is working on new workforce exposure opportunities for Lee’s Summit students to help prepare them to make a decision about which career they will pursue.
In December, we received a flurry of new requests for information from businesses looking for their new homes. Now it is in the hands of the companies involved to decide in which community they will spread their roots. I am hopeful that I will have more news to share on these projects this year.
As with 2019, 2020 is full of possibilities with the upcoming master planning of nearly 4,000 acres of previously undeveloped land. The land available through Property Reserve Inc. (PRI) is an opportunity that most communities are not afforded and Lee’s Summit is well-equipped to make the absolute most of this fortuitous position. The LSEDC, the City of Lee’s Summit and PRI all recognize the importance of working together to ensure that land is allocated thoughtfully,
sustainably and purposefully. This process will likely take several years to perfect, but it is an issue that is worth approaching with deep care and consideration.
While much work is already being done, I know that much more is yet to come. I cannot wait to see what 2020 will bring to Lee’s Summit. On behalf of the LSEDC, I want to thank the community of Lee’s Summit for its dedication to supporting its
continued economic growth.