Between July and September, Town Center in Leawood picked up a LEGO Store, a [solidcore] studio, a drybar, ALO's first Kansas location and a new J.Crew. Vuori was due to follow in September. The two restaurant buildings that anchored the plaza for about three decades, the old Houlihan's and the old Hereford House, are on a different track. One is being torn down and rebuilt. The other is waiting on a renovation with no confirmed opening date.
The new stores moved into space that already existed, which is why they could open within a season. The largest restaurant replacement needs two new buildings, new financing and tenants who haven't been named yet. That gap explains what Town Center looks like this fall, and why the biggest piece of its dining overhaul is planned for 2027.
What Opened Around 119th and Roe This Summer and Fall
KCTV's September 8 roundup gives the clearest list of who has opened and who is still coming.
| Business | Where at Town Center | Timing as reported |
|---|---|---|
| LEGO Store | Town Center | Opened July; the only LEGO store in Johnson County |
| [solidcore] | South side of Town Center Plaza | Opened July; its first area studio |
| drybar | Town Center | Opened July |
| J.Crew | Town Center Crossing | New 5,226-square-foot store |
| Lululemon | Town Center Crossing | Expanded its existing store |
| Play Street Museum | Town Center | Announced to open Sept. 9 |
| ALO | Town Center Plaza, 4,603 square feet | Announced to open Friday, Sept. 11; first Kansas store |
| Vuori | Town Center | Due in September; its first Kansas City metro store |
| COACH & The Coach Coffee Shop | Town Center Crossing, next to EVEREVE | "Coming this Fall"; the market's first Coach Coffee Shop |
| Local Lime Tacos and Margaritas | North side of Town Center Plaza | Planned for November 2026 |
Nine of the ten are retail, fitness, beauty or kids' play. Local Lime is the only full-service restaurant, and it isn't open yet. Coach plans to add coffee and sweets inside a retail store, so the next new place to sit down with a cup will be part of a handbag shop.
The Houlihan's Site Is Becoming Two New Buildings
The Houlihan's building sits on the south side of Town Center Plaza, facing 119th Street between Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. The Johnson County Post reported that Leawood's planning commission approved a Drake Development plan on March 24 to demolish it. Two one-story buildings would go up in its place, each with room for two restaurants. The project is called the French Corner. Its west building is planned at 10,217 square feet and its east building at 6,484.
The Leawood City Council gave final approval on April 20 with an 8–0 vote. The minutes from that meeting give the most detail anyone has published about who is coming. Drake's representative told the council the team had agreements for three of the four spaces but could not name the operators. Here is how the minutes describe them:
- West end, 6,500 square feet: an upscale, sit-down American bistro
- Next door, 3,600 square feet: an upscale, health-focused concept serving salads, bowls and wraps, from the same restaurant group as the bistro
- East side, 2,400 square feet: a sit-down coffee shop from a Los Angeles-based company with locations in Beverly Hills, Newport Beach and Calabasas
According to the minutes, both concepts from the shared group are new to the Kansas City metro. The minutes describe that group as the premier restaurateur in the Southwest United States. The minutes also explain the layout. Federal Realty Investment Trust did not favor an earlier two-story design. It wanted single-story buildings with restaurants that draw customers at different times of day, all facing 119th Street.
Other details from the presentation: green space on the site goes from about 27% to 35%, six times as many trees as there are now, a pedestrian connection to 119th Street, and a patio enclosure the bistro operator requested so the patio can be used in as many months as possible. Then there's the opening date.
"The tenants would all be targeting a spring/summer opening in 2027."
That line is from the council minutes' summary of Drake's presentation. At the same meeting, Drake said demolition would start the following month, in May, and expected to announce tenants within 30 to 90 days. The most recent city action on the project we found is a July 28 Planning Commission vote, 7–0, approving sign rules for the French Corner. That document still refers to four tenant spaces without naming any operators. As of mid-October, we haven't found any public announcement of tenant names.
Why a New Building Takes This Long
Part of the reason is money. A new storefront tenant mostly needs a lease and a fit-out. A ground-up restaurant building has to make sense for the developer before construction starts. The minutes show Drake estimating it would put in a little over $18 million, with tenants adding a conservatively estimated $4 million, for a total of a little over $22 million.
To make that work, Drake asked the council for a Community Improvement District at the same meeting. A CID adds a sales tax on purchases inside the district. Drake estimated its return at 5.8% without the CID and 6.5% with it. In the developer's numbers, the CID covers about 11% of total project cost and about 23.5% of gross dollars over the life of the project. Drake said both figures fall within Leawood's economic development guidelines. Drake projected a net benefit to the city of about $9.1 million after redevelopment, compared with about $1.5 million if the old building simply got a new restaurant tenant.
In practice, that means the bistro dinners and coffee meetings planned for the 119th Street side depend on a building that, by Drake's own timeline, won't serve anyone before spring 2027.
The North Side Moves Sooner, With Fewer Guarantees
The north side of the plaza is where new restaurants could arrive this year. Local Lime Tacos and Margaritas, which KCTV describes as a chef-driven Cali-Mex restaurant with scratch-made food and craft cocktails, is planned for November on the north side of Town Center Plaza.
Also on the north side is the former Hereford House, which is meant to become a second Brooksider Sportsbar & Grill. The plan keeps the existing building and adds a larger outdoor patio. The City Council approved the revised development plan April 20 by an 8–0 vote. A February update from the landlord said the owners had taken possession in January, were starting renovation and expected to open in the fall, depending on city permits. Brooksider's website still lists only its original address at 6330 Brookside Plaza, and we haven't found a confirmed Leawood opening date. Among the new Town Center restaurants, Local Lime is the only one with a stated opening month this year.
Park Place Shows How Fast Existing Restaurant Space Changes Hands
Park Place, the other big mixed-use center in Leawood, shows what happens when restaurants go into space that's already built. Turnover there has been quick.
The Johnson County Post reported in early July that AR's Breakfast and Brunch, a locally owned spot, had opened at 11635 Ash St. Over the same few months, three other Ash Street businesses closed:
- Panache Chocolatier closed its Park Place shop at the end of April. The Johnson County Post noted the owner said another operator might reopen it, but nothing had been settled.
- LaPez Mod Mex closed at 11563 Ash St. after about eight months, the Johnson County Post reported June 1.
- Aqua Penny's closed its restaurant at 11652 Ash St. after about two years, the Johnson County Post reported July 15. The Kansas City Star reported that its last dinner was in July.
We haven't found any announced replacements for the LaPez or Aqua Penny's spaces. At Park Place, a restaurant can open or close within one season because the space is already there. At Town Center, the restaurant spots being redeveloped won't produce anything until the new buildings are finished.
What's on the Leawood Calendar Until the Holiday Market
While the 119th Street restaurant sites wait, the city's own calendar has plenty going on in the next six weeks:
- Into the Night Fall Festival, Friday, Oct. 16, 5 to 8 p.m., Ironwoods Park, 14701 Mission Road. Pumpkin patch, hayrides, petting zoo, luminary trail and crafts.
- Bud Heacock presentation, Sunday, Oct. 18, 1 p.m., Oak Room at City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive. The Leawood Veterans Memorial Group's free talk on the WWII pilot.
- Yilan Park playground ribbon cutting, Monday, Oct. 19, 5:30 p.m.
- Ironwoods Park playground ribbon cutting, Friday, Oct. 23, 10 a.m.
- Leawood Lions Pancake Breakfast, Oct. 23 and 24, 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days, Oak Room at City Hall.
- Howl-O-Ween, Sunday, Oct. 25, 2 to 4 p.m., Leawoof Park, 10601 Lee Boulevard.
- Jazz & Martinis at the Lodge, Friday, Nov. 6, 7 to 10 p.m.
- Ironwoods Holiday Market, Sunday, Nov. 22, noon to 5 p.m.
If Local Lime opens on schedule, it will be serving by the Holiday Market. The French Corner's bistro, bowl concept and Los Angeles coffee shop are aiming for spring or summer 2027 on the 119th Street side of the plaza.
New buildings along 119th Street can affect how a nearby block feels and what it's worth well before the first table is served. If you're thinking about a move around Town Center or Park Place and want to talk about how these openings fit into your timing, Melissa Rousselo follows Leawood's development projects closely. Let's Connect.
