Day: October 4, 2024

More than 50 years ago, Lamar Hunt brought Worlds of Fun to Kansas City. The one-of-a-kind (for its time) amusement park was transformative for so many Kansas Citians, young and old. Now, a generation later, James Arkell and Loretto Properties, LLC (which was founded by Lamar Hunt, Jr.), is bringing a state-of-the-art, all-inclusive amusement park to the area, right here at 119th and Renner in Olathe. “My wife’s grandfather built Worlds of Fun, which was groundbreaking for its time,” Arkell said. “Now, we’re building something just as groundbreaking.” What Arkell and Loretto are building is Michael’s Wonder World, an all-inclusive amusement park that will be just the second of its kind in the U.S. The amusement park will be the crown jewel of the $338 million mixed-use district featuring 67,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, a 25,000 sq. ft. medical office building, sports arena and the all-abilities theme park.   The idea of Michael’s Wonder World came from a visit to Morgan’s Wonderland, an all-inclusive amusement park in San Antonio, Texas for the Arkell family, including his 10-year-old son, Michael, who has a rare medical condition, is nonverbal and uses a wheelchair.  The Olathe City Council approved a sales tax revenue (STAR) bond district on 130 acres at the southwest and northeast corners of 119th Street and Renner in mid-September and the group is hoping for a mid-2026 opening for the first phase of development on the SW corner. The new development is a game-changer for Olathe, the entire KC metro area, the Midwest and even the northern half of the U.S. https://youtu.be/ENTuD66N4KI “The location is the best we could have hoped for, as far as regionality,” Arkell added. “It’s right in the center of the country. “Mogan’s Wonderland is pulling people from all over the world, and with us being as far north from them, we’ll open up the opportunity for a whole lot of people who couldn’t make that trip.” Located right off of I-35 makes it an ideal location, but more importantly, for Olathe, it’s yet another economic driver. “This is certainly big news for the City of Olathe,” Olathe Chamber CEO Tim McKee said. “The investment in our market, the number of jobs it will create and the draw it will be for visitors across the region is another big win for our community.” Arkell agrees. “The city is making an investment that’s going to pay off exponentially,” he said. “The utilization of the tools the city is helping us with, allows us to do this. It allows us to show the appeal of Olathe that has been here since the pioneers came across this area.” Arkell is also quick to remind that while the City of Olathe has approved the sales tax revenue (STAR) bond district for the area, the new development won’t affect Olathe residents’ tax bill. “The truth is, not a single person will be affected financially,” Arkell said. “Basically, the city is giving us a leg up, but it doesn’t cost the taxpayers a thing. “We’re just redirecting things and the result is the City of Olathe gets this phenomenal development. It makes sense for us, and everyone involved, to do it.”

Michael’s Wonder World is the centerpiece of the $388 million mixed-use district at 119th and Renner, but directly to the east of the all-abilities theme park is an impressive and equally accessible 5,000-seat arena. What sets this arena apart is that it’s not necessarily designed for basketball or volleyball, but more for sports that aren’t at the forefront when it comes to these types of facilities, but are very expensive, according to James Arkell, COO of Loretto Properties, LLC. This arena will be designed for hockey, dance, cheer and gymnastics, the sports that are oftentimes overlooked. “There isn’t a facility for sports like this,” Arkell said. “It’s also going to have a very community feel to it. There will be graduations, sport competitions and community events, anything you can think of. The arena will be designed and adapted for easy accessibility for everyone.” The arena will be nestled to the east of the amusement park on the southwest corner of 119th and Renner. In addition to the arena, Loretto Properties and VanTrust Real Estate will develop the $338 million mixed-use district featuring 67,000 sq. ft. of restaurant and retail space, a 25,000 sq. ft. medical office space and Michael’s Wonder World.  “One of the great things about Olathe is that it’s great for the family, right?” Arkell said. “Great schools, great housing, great businesses. “We’re building this to make it easy for families to come and enjoy everything that the state of Kansas and the City of Olathe has to offer.” The idea behind the construction of the arena comes from the experiences that Arkell, Michael and the rest of their family have been through. “There are usually a lot of tournaments associated with those sports and if you’re traveling with a family, let alone a special needs family member, we’re trying to make it as easy possible to come into town and have a good time,” Arkell said. He added that the ultra-accessible arena will showcase the hospitality of the area. It’s really about education as well,” he added. “A lot of the things we’ll be building into the area will be about helping people get an understanding of what’s going on with those with special needs. “The hospitality part is something I’m very excited about. We’re going to have an ADA-compliant, fully accessible suite in the arena, too. We’re taking the problems that we’ve run into as a family and tried to adjust things accordingly.” Not only will the arena and amusement park accessible to everyone, a hotel within the mixed-use project will also be ultra-accessible, too. “It will be the only complex with an ultra-accessible arena, hotel and amusement park, as well as ultra-accessible living all in the same area,” Arkell added.

Over the past decade, James Arkell and his wife have been exposed to some pretty amazing environments along with their special-needs son, Michael. More importantly, they’ve seen what was missing. And after a visit to Morgan’s Wonderland in San Antonio several years ago, something clicked for James Arkell. They made a visit to Morgan’s Wonderland, a fully accessible amusement park deep in the heart to Texas that offers those with special needs all of the same opportunities as everyone else. That gave Arkell the idea to build an amusement park that aims to create rides and attractions that will give dignity to every visitor. “Over the past 10 years, we’ve been exposed to a number of communities and environments that we never knew were out there,” Arkell said. “We wanted to take the resources that we have and replicate something we discovered in San Antonio.” Morgan’s Wonderland gave them inspiration. “The reason was very simple. I have 10-year-old son with a very rare genetic condition,” Arkell said. “He’s non verbal, in a wheelchair, with limited mobility, but the coolest kid you’ve ever met in your life.” They had the motivation, they were then on the lookout for the opportunity. Enter Olathe Gateway, a $338 million mixed-use district featuring 67,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, a 25,000 sq. ft. medical office building, sports arena and an all-abilities theme park. A couple of weeks ago, the Olathe City Council approved a sales tax revenue (STAR) bond district on 130 acres at the southwest and northeast corners of 119th Street and Renner in mid-September and the group is hoping for a mid-2026 opening for the first phase of development on the SW corner. Michael’s Wonder World is the centerpiece of the development. “We were already working on a huge sports project when the opportunity for the land on the SW corner of 119th presented itself,” he added. And so, the journey began. Well, actually, it’s been in the works for a while. “It started several years ago with (former and late Olathe Mayor) Michael Copeland and (current City Manager) Michale Wilkes,” Arkell said. “You could see the passion and vision that they have for the City of Olathe and what they had accomplished over the last 20 years.” The relationship that Arkell fostered with the City of Olathe has remained has turned into a great partnership that will turn this wonderful dream into a reality. And it’s not just a partnership between Loretto and the City of Olathe, either. “I’ve said this before, I think this is going to be the best representation of public, private, non-profit, for profit, you name it,” he said. “Everyone is coming together to make this happen and that’s not easy to do. “We’re not getting any handouts, we’re getting a little help to develop something new, something that will have a generational impact on that region.”   Morgan’s Wonderland houses a medical office called Morgan’s Multi-Assistance Center, a concept Loretto hopes to emulate in Olathe. Those with mental or developmental disabilities may have to visit multiple specialists, so the assistance center would streamline the process by bringing specialists and social service providers under one roof. Loretto and their teams are hoping to replicate as much as they can here in Olathe to make the Olathe Gateway Project truly one of a kind. “There are a lot of people down there that have a shared mission and that’s to give everyone a seat at the table, especially those who different abilities and challenges,” Arkell added. “We’ve been working with them for a year and a half and see if we can replicate what they have down there and bring it up here to KC. At the same time, we want to shine a light on all the great things happening in Olathe, while bringing something that would only be the second in the world. We want to improve the lives of all these wonderful kids and make it easier for families out there to really be together as a family.” With a shared vision, a lot of help from the folks that put together Morgan’s Wonderland and a great team here in Olathe, Arkell sees no reason why this can’t be another amazing all-inclusion “A lot of happy tears have been shed already, which is all the more reason we get it right and get it done,” Arkell said.