Commute fr Lee's Summit to Olathe (Blue Springs, Raytown: homes, neighborhood, buy)

[truzella]

We may be moving in the near future from Baltimore Md to Mo/Kansas. My husband's job will be in Olathe KS. I am not familiar with the area but we definitely want to take the commute/traffic into consideration as well as cost of homes and future resale value. Of the many areas we are considering Lee's Summit is in the top 5 on our list. Is there anyone who makes this commute or something similar? If the trip from Lee's Summit is too much is there another area on the MO side that is closer that we should consider (I definitely want to stay close to I-435). Any feedback would be appreciated.

[benmurrell]

I commute from Lee's Summit to Olathe daily. It's brutal if you plan to travel during rush hour.

Getting to Olathe:
-Leave at 7:15, get there at 8:00
-Leave at 6:50, get there at 7:20

Getting home:
-Leave at 4:35, get home at 5:15
-Leave at 5:00, get home at 6:00

I take 35 -> 435 -> 470 -> 50 home (and the reverse to get to Olathe). I haven't tried taking 150 all of the way out since last summer, but at the time it was equally bad. My job doesn't require strict hours of attendance, so I'm flexibly with when I can come and go luckily, and I opt to work 7:30-4:30 so I can dodge some of the traffic.

[truzella]

Out of curiosity does the traffic just creep along? I believe it is about 30+ miles so could it be that the commute is so brutual due to the distance?

[OneKC]

If you're from the Beltway, you will think KC traffic is a piece of cake. Lee's Summit to Olathe is one of the worst traffic routes in the city however.

[truzella]

Still not clear on the brutality of the commute ... is the distance (30 mi @ 60 mph is still 30 min), the slooooow moving vehichles or they stop and go heavy traffic.

[truzella]

What neighborhood is comparable to Lee's Summit that is along the 470 corridor and before the state line?

[benmurrell]

Originally Posted by truzella

Out of curiosity does the traffic just creep along? I believe it is about 30+ miles so could it be that the commute is so brutual due to the distance?

At all of the major junctions, there are big slowdowns... and I frequently run into stop and go traffic at state line every day on the way home. There may be days where you get lucky and are able to make it through averaging 60mph during rush hour times, but this is the exception. Expect to spend at least 1.5 hours a day in your car.

[kcmo]

I drive from Lee's Summit / Blue Springs to Overland Park / Olathe during rush hour regularly. I used to make the commute daily.

I have driven in every major city in the country.

I am a transportation planner.

I consider myself an expert in comparing KC traffic to other cities .

There is no traffic congestion in KC. Like I mentioned in this same thread in the Kansas forum, you will typically have a delay of 10-15 minutes tops. Many days, there will not even be a delay and on the worst days of the year, you might be delayed 20-30 minutes.

435 is a wide, urban beltway and when it slows down, it looks nasty.

But that's all it does is slow down, even at its worst, like when its slow from Nall or Metcalf all the way to 470, you are averaging 40-50 mph with a couple of points where you might have actual stop and go traffic. But the delay is minimal.

One of the biggest delays on the commute will be the ramp from EB I-470 to EB US-50. The far right lane of 470 is the only lane that takes you to 50 and it can get bad.

So, here is some good advise.

Don’t live on the US-50 corridor of Lee’s Summit. It’s not the best part of the city anyway, lots of track housing etc. It’s also flat, and ugly out that way with little trees or interesting topography. May as well live in Olathe.

Live south of 470 around Longview Farms, Longview Lake, or any of the areas along 3rd, or Longview Road. Very nice area with beautiful terrain and you can get off 470 at View High Drive rather than go to US-50.

You can even get to northern Lee’s Summit faster than having to go out along 50. Areas like Lakewood and around the big Legacy Park are also very upscale and the terrain is nice and hilly, forested and there are lots of lakes.

I would stay away from areas west of Raytown Road along 470. That’s KCMO and those are not too great of areas, some are downright ghettoish.

I would look seriously at the areas of Lee’s Summit that are within a mile of 470. Coming from Baltimore/DC, you will think you have died and gone to heaven when it comes to traffic times and how fast you can get around the metro.

We are looking at moving to DC due to a job and it’s just a totally different world here. People here don’t understand.


Do you have to or want to live in the suburbs?

KCMO has some great areas just east of state line that would put you minutes from the Kansas suburbs while giving you a more urban or charming area to live in. Again, another difference between KC and DC/Balt. You can live in a nice, safe part of the city not have to be a millionaire and you get can from the city to anyplace in JoCo in 15 minutes. A very nice home in Brookside will set you back 250-300k. That same home in DC would be at least 2 million plus a nasty commute TO the suburbs.

[truzella]

Great information! If we eliminate the I-50 portion what what the commute time be for that stretch of hwy (approx)? I saw Longview Lake on the map but didn't know much about the area. Any reasonable land in the area? What is the average housing price? One option we have is that my BIL builds in Lee's Summit (not licensed in KS) and he MAY travel a few miles outside of his development and build for us. Obviously that would be great, however, we do not want to go from one frying pan to another. At some point I will need to become employed and it seems that Overland Park may have the types of jobs that would suit me (finance, bookkeeping, banking).

Any help on specific areas are appreciated. We are looking to stay in 300k price range. Don't know what they will buy.

[kcmo]

If you don’t live out on US-50 like out off of Todd George or Blackwell, then you can save 10-15 minutes off a commute. Again, not a pretty area of LS anyway IMO.

300k will get you a very nice home in LS. You can probably find a development that allows multiple builders, get the developer to approve your builder, buy a lot and build a home. There are many places you can do that. You will probably have to build the home in a certain time frame as LS probably won't let a developer sell a lot unless it will be built on.

Lee's Summit has the largest new urbanism suburban housing development in the metro. Longview Farms. If you want a walkable community that sort of brings urban characteristics to a suburban area.

But as you can see in the following photos, there is still plenty of standard suburban housing as well.







There are also many still developing areas around 470 and Woods Chapel. The Lakewood side is pretty built out, but the east side of 470 between 470 and Flemming Park is still building out if you wanted to live in an area with more lakes. Although Longview is a big recreational lake as well.