Impressions of Overland Park (Leawood: theater, live, restaurants)

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by sparksharp

So Overland Park and Johnson County in general offers more shopping options than Platte County?

Zone Rosa is a nice shopping area. But it's also just a conglomeration of strip malls. Not much different than Town Center in OP/Leawood (which is slightly more upscale.)

Oak Park Mall and the surrounding strips offer good centralized shopping. Also a lot like ZR, except that a good portion of the stores are inside.

But the stores are pretty much the same. Merchandise is priced just slightly higher in JoCo than in ZR.

Either place will offer you decent (and nearly indistinguishable) shopping options.

[Sonrise]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Here you go. The photos mostly shows office parks etc. The housing in OP can be pretty cookie cutter, but the city has a lot of upscale custom neighborhoods as well.

Overland Park, Kansas (Midwestern S U B U R B I A) - SkyscraperPage Forum

Thanks, that's exactly what I was looking for. The comments were a bit harsh though. Man, Sprint sure looks like a college campus. Any pics of neighborhoods, parks and shopping areas? Thanks again

[sparksharp]

Thank you all so much for all the information! You have been very helpful!

[northbound74]

I've always thought Zona Rosa to be sort-of a newer version of the Plaza... although it would take decades for it to have the character of the Plaza. Not really a "conglomeration of strip malls". You can drive through it, park right next to whatever store.. just like the Plaza.
Vastly more interesting than Leawood's Town Center, which is much more typical of a strip mall, where you park over there, and walk over there...
The worst part about Zona Rosa is the mall rat stores.

As far as Overland Park is concerned, their downtown area is one of the better, more thriving suburban "downtowns" in the area.
I also like Johnson Drive in Mission.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by northbound74

I've always thought Zona Rosa to be sort-of a newer version of the Plaza... although it would take decades for it to have the character of the Plaza. Not really a "conglomeration of strip malls". You can drive through it, park right next to whatever store.. just like the Plaza.
Vastly more interesting than Leawood's Town Center, which is much more typical of a strip mall, where you park over there, and walk over there...
The worst part about Zona Rosa is the mall rat stores.

I've always thought ZR and Town Center to have more in common with each other than either has with the Plaza.

Personally, I love the charm of the Plaza, for casual relaxed shopping or eating out. If I need to do a lot of shopping though, I prefer a mall or someplace where the stores I need are closer together.

<shrug>

[kcmo]

Zona Rosa is no Country Club Plaza, but it's a huge step up from places like Town Center Plaza which is basically a fancy strip mall.

I don't think you can even compare the two really. ZR has the feel of a small city. It's mixed use and dense, parking is hidden in garages outside the district except for limited on street parking. There are plazas, fountains, apartments, there is a comedy club, sidewalk cafes etc. The place hosts art festivals and other events.

There is nothing else like it in metro KC. Not even close.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Zona Rosa is no Country Club Plaza, but it's a huge step up from places like Town Center Plaza which is basically a fancy strip mall.

I don't think you can even compare the two really. ZR has the feel of a small city. It's mixed use and dense, parking is hidden in garages outside the district except for limited on street parking. There are plazas, fountains, apartments, there is a comedy club, sidewalk cafes etc. The place hosts art festivals and other events.

There is nothing else like it in metro KC. Not even close.

Hmmm, When you were describing ZR, you could have easily been describing the Town Center area, IMO. Although I don't know what you mean by "dense", does that mean packed with people? Most days it's pretty easy to get around TCP without too much crowd fighting. I also wouldn't call either of them "mixed use" necessarily, but maybe we define those a little differently too. Parking is easy, I don't think there is a comedy club, but there is everything else you mention. Have you been there lately?

I haven't been to ZR in the last 6 months, but for what I need in shopping, it's just a nice big group of strip malls to me.

IMHO, they are more alike than they are different. And neither comes close to being like CC Plaza.

[luzianne]

Originally Posted by Samantha S

I've always thought ZR and Town Center to have more in common with each other than either has with the Plaza.

Personally, I love the charm of the Plaza, for casual relaxed shopping or eating out. If I need to do a lot of shopping though, I prefer a mall or someplace where the stores I need are closer together.

<shrug>

I was trying to think if I've ever actually shopped on the Plaza, then remembered I had gone to the Apple store, when it was the only one I knew of in Kansas City, and I went to Function Junction years ago when it was the only one I knew of in Kansas City. And Function Junction was more of I was on the Plaza anyway so I stopped in thing. Apple I specifically went there to buy a Mac. The only reason I ever go to the Plaza is for restaurants that aren't in Johnson County that I want to go to.

I don't like Oak Park and the traditional type mall where you have to park far from the door and then go up and down stairs and past dozens of stores you don't even want to go to to get to the ones you do want to go toe. I love Town Center because it's never far to park and I can either walk from store to store, or go to a couple within close range and then drive to another one. If I only need to go to one place, I can park in close proximity to that place and get in and get out.

I've been to Zona Rosa once and it didn't seem as easy to get in and out of places as Town Center. Plus it didn't especially appeal to me; I don't know why. I guess to me it seemed more like a bar scene area, but then it was evening when I was there so maybe that's why. I didn't really like it or dislike it, it was more like "meh."

[kcmo]

Here are some photos of Zona Rosa. I don't see how this resembles Leawood Town Center is any way besides having some of the same tenants and being in a suburban area.

Zona Rosa is based around pedestrians, it does not have a giant oversized parking lot that is very easy to park in front of what ever store. Zona Rose is a place a lot of people like to go and just walk around and hang out. People live there. There are offices there, there is a comedy club and they are building small full service theater complex just like the one in the P&L District. Most buildings are at least two floors. The second floors have stores, offices, condos etc in them. It's a very pedestrian friendly "district" where cars move slow and peds have the right of way.

Leawood Town Center is a strip mall in a gigantic sea of parking. The new Park Place near Leawood Town Center is like Zona Rosa, only on a much smaller scale.

BTW, these photos were before zona rosa doubled in size, new stores still opening in the new part.

[Samantha S]

Originally Posted by kcmo

Here are some photos of Zona Rosa. I don't see how this resembles Leawood Town Center is any way besides having some of the same tenants and being in a suburban area.

Hmmm, I don't see how those photos don't resemble Town Center except that there are streets with parking meters running between the shops. Other than parking, you could get very similar pix.

(and parking meters? Really?)

But I think I see where we are missing each other here. And you may well be right.

I haven't gone to any place like ZR, TC, VW or Oak Park Mall "just to walk around and hang out" since I was a teenager. Heck I don't even "hang out" on the CC Plaza. I typically only go to the 1-3 places I had in mind when I left the house.

I go to those places to shop or to eat. I don't make whole day excursions of them. Maybe that's a suburban thing, maybe it's just an age thing. I dunno. But I think it's probably why there's not much difference to me in the various shopping areas.