What is considered the best master planned community in KC Metro area? (Kansas City: 2014)

[dickelfan]

Moving to KC at the first of the year, we currently live in what is considered one of the best master planned communities in the country (Cinco Ranch Cinco Ranch Community Ranked No. 1 for Livability Statewide and Nationwide - 04-02-2014 : LaCente... LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch - pools, trails, schools nearby, shopping, etc).

Are there any areas like this you can recommend in the area, Overland Park, Lees Summit etc??

[Okey Dokie]

What's your price range?

[kcmo]

Kansas City doesn’t really have any massive master planned communities. There are some smaller developments within some suburban areas that are somewhat master planned, but most are still built out by many developers and don’t have quite the same feel that you may be used to with a large community that is master planned often with their own laws etc. There are some such as Longview Farms in Lee’s Summit and Shoal Creek in the Northland, but they are probably decades from being built out enough to really feel like a mature master planned community. Having said that, I think you will find that many of the suburbs around KC offer a very similar quality of life and type of development.

Lee’s Summit (as well as parts of Blue Springs and Independence)
Northland around Shoal Creek/Liberty and Zona Rosa/Tiffany Springs, but also parts of Parkville, NKC and Gladstone
Johnson County (Overland Park, Leawood, Lenexa, Olathe etc)

You will find nice suburban areas with trails, good schools, retail, aquatic centers, pools, fitness centers etc all around metro KC that will rival most larger master planned communities with similar amities, zoning and regulations.

You just need to narrow down your commute and what lifestyle you want. Lee’s Summit is more “outdoorsy” with lots of lakes (recreational and residential), county and state parks etc and a lot of community spirit often centering around downtown Lee’s Summit. Northland is a huge mixed bag from small historic downtowns to new urbanism and is developing very fast and is the closest new suburban areas to the urban core of KC (if you like visiting the city). Johnson County is more of a white collar business suburb as much of the county is intertwined with office parks and one of the main reasons people live there is proximity to those offices, but new parts of the county can get very far from metro attractions, the airport etc.

You also have older areas that function like a master planned communities in many ways such as Prairie Village and Brookside. Prairie Village has better public schools but leaves a lot to be desired as far as housing. Brookside has better housing stock and is probably the most charming, yet walkable area in all of KC in a great location. You just have to deal with being in the urban KCMO School district and the challenges associated with that or go the private school route.

Good luck.

[luzianne]

One Man

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_Clyde_Nichols

Ingram's | Master Planned Communities Offer Cities Within Citites