Lee's Summit hears proposal for 84-unit boutique hotel next to Green Street Market

KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail.

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A proposal to build an 84-unit boutique hotel next to Green Street Market in downtown Lee's Summit is moving closer to reality after a city council presentation on July 14.

The development is estimated to bring in nearly $40 million in tax revenue over 30 years. The proposal includes several requests for financial incentives from the city, including a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) plan and property tax abatement.

Thrash Group

Donny Rodgers, executive director of Downtown Lee's Summit Main Street, said a hotel with an upscale restaurant was part of the vision for the area.

"Having a boutique hotel downtown has been a dream for a long time," Rodgers said.

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After the construction of the $44 million Green Street Market and its August 2025 opening, this was next in line.

Rodgers said the development would address a gap in lodging options for visitors to the area.

"We're a growing community, and really there's such limited options lodging-wise. I know my own family, when they come to visit, it's a little bit of a struggle sometimes to be like, where are they going to stay?" Rodgers said.

He said the hotel would bring economic activity directly into the heart of downtown.

"Those 84 rooms, leaving behind a little bit of their money and exploring what special places we have here in downtown," Rodgers said.

Lee's Summit resident Kurt Fencl said he supports the restaurant component but has reservations about the project's scale.

"I'm good for the high-end restaurant. 80 sounds like a lot of rooms," Fencl said.

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Fencl also pointed to Green Street's visibility in the community.

"Green Street's active in everything we're seeing online, on the news," Fencl said.

Resident Olivia Grainger said she was fully on board with the proposal.

"I think it couldn't hurt for sure. You know, Kansas City has a ton of hotels, so why not Lee's Summit?" Grainger said.

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Grainger said she welcomes the continued investment in the area.

"I'm obsessed. We come here all the time. I love that, you know, they're updating Lee Summit and getting more people down here," Grainger said.

Rodgers acknowledged that conversations about how the hotel fits into the existing downtown aesthetic are still ongoing. Brick, visible in the surrounding infrastructure and in the project's renderings, is one design element being considered.

"I think right now the conceptual design is out there, and I think there's still a lot of conversations we have had about how that fits in with the overall downtown," Rodgers said.

City council heard the full presentation Tuesday night, which included several requests for financial incentives.

Thrash Group, Dale Partners Architects

The council was not tasked with making any decisions about the hotel at the meeting, only beginning the review process.

Thrash Group, the company behind the proposal, is a well-known development group that has built other hotels in KC, including the Origin KC. That hotel was where Argentina was based during the World Cup.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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