Why developers say folding Plexpod Westport site into Park 39 unifies $230M project

A move this week to transition management of the Plexpod Westport space to the developers behind a massive project along 39th Street will mean reuniting elements within the broader Park 39 campus, said Andrew Brain.

“By unifying our actions on both sides of the street, we’re able to act as a whole instead of as parts. And that will lead to improved experiences across the board,” said Brain, CEO of Brain Group, which owns the property and is managing The Offices at Park 39 (taking over the lease at Plexpod Westport) under S&B Ventures. “It’ll mean quicker decision making; we can get creative; we can get aggressive when we need to.”

Plexpod Westport Commons; photo by Taylor Wilmore, Startland News

Centered around the former Westport Middle and High School campuses at 39th and McGee, the $250 million Park 39 development is expected to showcase a new 138-unit apartment community within the former high school — which sits on the south side of 39th Street, directly across from the former junior high, which currently houses Plexpod Westport.

Commercial spaces attracting additional office, retail and restaurant tenants also are planned.

Click here to learn more about plans for the Park 39 development. 

A property management team led by Brain Group this week announced it would be assuming all sub-lease agreements at the Plexpod Westport site March 1, with all existing agreements honored with the transition.

RELATED: Plexpod Westport closing Feb. 29; offices to remain but under new management, branding

Newly minted as The Offices at Park 39, the independent space is expected to continue offering the same on-site amenities as Plexpod Westport with space improvements planned campus-wide, Brain said.

“We have a waitlist for single person offices. Office leasing is robust,” he said. “We are overwhelmed across our portfolio with activity.”

Brain teased a general refresh and upgrade at The Offices at Park 39 that will involve updates to conference rooms, technology and hospitality features, as well as upgraded landscaping. A staffed reception desk also is expected to return to the site, he said, noting interviews for receptionists already are underway.

Park 39 campus aerial with The Residences at Park 30 at left, The Offices at Park 39 at right; photo courtesy of Park 39

The management change allows Park 39 to better embrace a “live, work, play” mentality successfully popularized by more urban developments that often combine amenities vertically in a confined footprint, said Chip Walsh of Sustainable Development Partners and Mercier Street, a boutique development consulting firm, which is co-developing Park 39 with Brain Group. 

“Park 39 will accomplish ‘live, work, play’ horizontally, across the campus. You’ll see more outdoor activity, walkability, greenability,” he said, noting the project’s prime location. “We’ll be two blocks from KC Streetcar access that will be coming online within the next year. We’re the midpoint between the Plaza and Crown Center. We’re on the heaviest-trafficked east-west artery through the city on 39th Street. We’re adjacent to 80-plus acres of park land. That campus experience for all users adds to the vitality of the whole area.”

Building on the strengths of Brain Group and Mercer Street as developers also allows the project to more effectively capitalize on those advantages as it builds its community with intention, Brain said.

“We’re able to collectively look at the next phases and plan them out in a way that caters to the needs of our tenants, both residential and office,” he said.

Park 39 is preparing to sign a new restaurant to fill the on-site commercial space at The Offices at Park 39, and is exploring ways to offer deals and incentives to future tenants who chose to lease apartment and office space within the development, Brain said.

The developers noted additional Park 39 announcements will be coming soon, while assuring tenants at the Plexpod Westport space that disruptions to their work will be minimal.

“We want this to be as seamless as possible,” said Walsh. “Where you’ll see changes is how reuniting these pieces makes the project stronger.”