At 435 and State Line in Leawood Kansas, a massive mixed-use development proposed by VanTrust Real Estate, is taking its first step forward and it could have implications for the City of Kansas City and the Plaza-area.

Rumors have been circulating whether Lockton, an insurance brokerage company that has its headquarters at 47th and Pennsylvania on Country Club Plaza, could be leaving for new digs in Johnson County. This rumor was boosted by a report from the Business Journal in August. Debate continues online, and elsewhere, about whether Lockton could also move into the new office tower that’s been discussed for the failed Nordstrom site on the Plaza’s west end.

VanTrust’s proposal for the 34 acres of land near 435 and State Line includes 857,000sf of Class A office space across three buildings, 400 total apartments in what would be Johnson County’s first residential high-rise buildings (2 of them), 145 hotel rooms with a 10,000sf event center, 14,000sf childcare center, 16,000sf of retail space, a 6000sf retreat center, and structured parking (both above and below-grade). The tallest building will be a 12-story office building that’ll stand 200ft in height. Leawood planning staff recommends approval for the development at their September 9th meeting.

If Lockton were to move into this development and vacate their offices at Country Club Plaza, it could possibly include consolidating all other regional Lockton offices. The same could also be said about the potential Plaza Office Tower. But if Lockton were to move to Leawood, it would follow a trend of large corporations leaving Kansas City Missouri for Johnson County Kansas. No matter where Lockton ends up, if they vacate their current office building, it’ll present another redevelopment opportunity in an area that’s seeing a flurry of new development proposals.

For the hopes of Lockton remaining in the City, do know that VanTrust proposes a lot of office buildings in the Kansas City region and rarely develops them. See the proposed “One South Plaza” building at 49th and Main or their other planned office building at 435 and State Line on the Missouri side of the line. Granted construction on these buildings is likely dependent on securing an anchor tenant and Hallbrook North could very well already have a tenant connected to it, thus the Lockton rumors. If not Lockton, the hope is the corporate headquarters tenant will be new to the region instead of playing musical chairs.

Hallbrook North would be constructed in two-phases with the “core” of the development being built first. That includes the 12-story office tower, one of two residential buildings, hotel, restaurant buildings, childcare center and associated parking. Phase 2 would develop the second residential building, accompanying 8-story headquarters office building, and a third office building and associated garage at the south end of the site.

The development is similar to the recently revealed mixed-use Black & Veatch HQ redevelopment in Central Overland Park. It’s also the latest “walkable island” development to be proposed in Johnson County. Others include Black & Veatch’s redevelopment or completed projects like Leawood’s Park Place, Lenexa’s City Center, or Overland Park’s Prairie Fire.

In Leawood’s full planning document for the proposal, only one opposition letter has been presented.

Burns and McDonnell is connected to VanTrust’s proposal as the design-build team. The design of the office buildings follows a similar design style to other VanTrust buildings. VanTrust intends to begin construction in Q1 2026 with a 36-month construction timeline. We can then assume phase 2 would commence after that point. A development cost has not been announced. VanTrust intends to seek a mixture of tax incentives.

The gallery below includes additional early renderings and elevations. The gallery also includes the “phase 1” site plan.