Mold Remediation in Roeland Park, KS

Chocolate buns, strawberry cheesecake, caramel iced coffee with sea salt cold foam — customers ordered these treats and dozens more at the opening of 85°C Bakery Cafe in Overland Park.

The Taiwanese chain — which entered the U.S. market in 2008 — just opened its first Kansas City area location Wednesday.

It has a presence in California, Texas, Utah, Washington, Hawaii and beyond.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., customers flowed in and out the former Red Shoes space at 12061 Metcalf Ave., with lines spilling out the door at times.

On one side of the bakery, customers lined up with plastic trays and slid past rows of individually packaged pastries: jumbo guava cheese strudels, milk butter puff pastries, cocoa-dipped Danishes, pineapple cake and more.

More patrons gathered at the front counter to order drinks, like brown sugar oat lattes, milk tea with coffee jelly, strawberry matcha and frozen marble taro smoothies.

A pastry case held specialty full cakes and slices. Flavors include tiramisu cheesecake, macchiato cream cake, strawberry chocolate mousse and ube cream.

First-time customer Jennifer Her brought her family in after seeing the excitement over social media and hearing about it from others.

“We’ve had friends that have gone, and they’ve raved about it,” she said while her three little girls happily sipped their smoothies. “It’s really fresh and tasty. I’ve had my Vietnamese coffee, and it’s really good.”

Trinh Huynh has been to the location in Los Angeles and was excited to see it had opened in the Kansas City metro.

Her favorite item? The miniature lemon cupcakes. Since the store is still in its soft opening phase, the cupcakes weren’t available Wednesday. Huynh is anxiously awaiting that treat.

“I’ll keep coming back ... until they have it,” she said.

85°C Bakery Cafe was founded in 2003 after Cheng-Hsueh Wu visited a cafe in a five-star hotel and was taken aback by its expensive prices, according to the chain’s website. He sought to create something of similar quality that was much more attainable. (A medium iced latte at the Johnson County cafe, for example, is $4.55. Many of the pastries are under $3.)

Its name comes from what Wu thought to be the perfect brewing temperature for coffee.

Meanwhile, South Korean cafe Paris Baguette is quickly moving toward opening its first two metro locations at 11137 W. 95th St. and 15895 Metcalf Ave. in Overland Park. Exact opening dates for both locations were not immediately available Wednesday, though construction for the Oak Park Mall location appears to be moving steadily along.

Last year, partner Mike Issa said he’s hoping to open more Paris Baguette spots in the metro.

International bakery Tous Les Jours, on the other hand, has been open in Overland Park for close to a decade at 10348 Metcalf Ave. It, too, hails from South Korea.

Japanese discount store Daiso opened a week ago at 14673 W. 119th St., offering home goods, snacks, beauty products and more.

Applications for Overland Park’s property tax rebate program open on Sunday, June 1.

The Overland Park City Council approved plans in March for a new program that will provide property tax relief to residents who need it most.

The property tax rebate pilot program will offer eligible residents up to 75% of their City property taxes back. To be eligible to apply, you must:

Applicants must also have paid their property taxes in full in both December 2024 and May 2025 before the City will provide the rebate.

Potential savings

The average home value in Overland Park is $498,188. Based on the City’s mill rate, Overland Park’s share of the average home’s property taxes is equal to $832. Under the rebate program, eligible residents could get up to 75% of that, or $624, back.

Priorities for awarding rebates

The City will award rebates based on priority criteria, including:

Applications are available this weekend

Applications will be available online starting on June 1 for the first round of funding. Or, pick up a printed application at the City Clerk’s Office at City Hall, 8500 Santa Fe Drive, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Staff from the City’s administrative partner for this program, Community Capital Fund, will be available during six support sessions in June to assist with applications. All locations are in Overland Park or online by appointment.

Applications are due by July 15. Approved applicants will receive their rebates as checks in the mail by August 15. If money remains, an additional funding round may open in the fall.

Apply on the Community Capital Fund website at ccfkansascity.org.

The Fortune 500 company Fiserv wants to lease out two existing buildings at the former Sprint campus, with plans to employ 2,000 employees. It's requested what amounts to a roughly 40%, 10-year property tax rebate.

Wisconsin-based financial technology company Fiserv, Inc. is the mystery firm eyeballing Overland Park’s Aspiria campus as the home for a new regional hub.

The Fortune 500 company wants to lease out two existing buildings spanning roughly 425,000 square feet on the mixed-use campus for 2,000 white collar, in-person employees for at least 15 years. Some of those employees are expected to transfer from established Fiserv workplaces, though the majority of them would be new hires.

The firm, headquartered in Milwaukee, operates payment and financial services technology, including the point of sale platform Clover. They operate what Fiserv calls “strategic hubs” around the U.S.

“The scope and scale of this investment — both in terms of job creation and private capital — will deliver generational impact,” said Libbey Tucker, who leads economic development efforts for the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, in an emailed statement.

Fiserv’s local operations at 6500 and 6550 Sprint Parkway on the Aspiria campus could begin as soon as this year.

'A significant step forward'

Word that a mystery financial technology firm was looking to lease space at Aspiria first started circulating last week, though the name of the firm in question was kept secret at first. In city documents, it was dubbed “Project Turtle.”

On Monday, in a joint statement with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Fiserv formally announced its plans to open a new regional office hub in Overland Park.

“We are thrilled to expand our U.S. footprint, bringing our people together to drive innovation on behalf of our clients,” Chairman and CEO Frank Bisignano said in a news release. “Working with local and state leaders, we are committed to driving growth and prosperity for both Fiserv and Kansas while contributing to the vibrancy of the Overland Park community.”

Fiserv’s move also marks a key point for Aspiria as the ever-changing vision for the mixed-use site at the former Sprint World Headquarters has played out in fits and spurts over several years.

Local officials also trumpeted the news.

“This is the largest job project that we’ve landed in my time on the council — that’s 20 years,” Mayor Curt Skoog said Monday evening. “This is a big deal. This is a big win for us, and we are excited to be selected.”

Kelly also called it “a significant step forward as we continue to elevate Kansas to new heights,” in a news release.

Overland Park firmed up incentive package this week

Also on Monday, the Overland Park City Council took a formal step toward setting up the incentive package on which the deal hinges.

Fiserv has requested what amounts to a roughly 40%, 10-year property tax rebate. By a 10-1 vote, the city council approved directing city staff to negotiate the rebate deal with Fiserv.

Councilmember Jeff Cox was the lone dissenting vote, calling the structure of the proposed deal “unusual.”

Councilmember Sam Passer, who voiced support for the incentive package, abstained because Fiserv is a competitor to Lenexa-based Touchnet, the company where he works as a vice president.

“It seems like anybody with lick of common sense knows this is a great idea,” Passer said, adding that he was “voting yes in spirit.”

For the rebate, the company would pay their full property tax bill annually and then request money back through an application process of sorts.

That would give the city the power to deny a rebate to the firm or claw back money if they aren’t delivering on the promises and terms laid out in a final incentive agreement.

Property taxes paid to the Blue Valley School District and Johnson County Community College would be exempted from the rebate.

In the past, Overland Park has used a variety of incentives to encourage new development or to entice new business to the city, but the rebate incentive being discussed for Fiserv would be the first time the city has offered such a deal to a company.

City staff previously said the rebate could offset an estimated $1.3 million in city property taxes for the company over the next 10 years, assuming an annual 5% valuation increase on the office space.

One of the key cornerstones of the incentive package the city has offered to Fiserv Inc. is that the firm is expected to execute a minimum of $125 million in capital investment into its office space at Aspiria and employ 2,000 individuals at the Overland Park site by spring 2030. The average annual salary of those employees is anticipated to be $125,000.

Last week, Alex Leath, an Alabama-based attorney representing Fiserv, said the firm picked Overland Park’s Aspiria after a lengthy search that looked at other bigger cities for a new regional headquarters location.

Aspiria’s vision is evolving

The 200-acre campus now known as Aspiria near Nall Avenue and 119th Street was at first envisioned solely for office development as part of the former Sprint World Headquarters.

Those plans were never fully realized, and when T-Mobile merged with Sprint in 2020, the company took over the western portion of the campus.

That same year, Wichita-based Occidental rezoned the entire campus to accommodate mixed-use development, paving the way for a variety of uses with an eye toward entertainment, dining and retail as well as more offices.

Reaching Occidental’s full vision for Aspiria is likely to take years if not decades, though there’s been some recent momentum at the campus.

Earlier this year, Overland Park approved a final development plan for more retail near 115th and Nall. Additionally, construction on a new indoor go-kart facility and entertainment complex nearby is underway.

The campus has been rumored to be a site under consideration for a new Royals stadium, though Occidental quickly denied claims made on a local sports talk radio show. At the time, the developer said it continues to be “committed to keeping Aspiria a mixed-use space” with a variety of land uses.

Next steps for Fiserv at Aspiria

Fiserv said it plans to open its Aspiria office in 2025, though the exact timeline is unclear.

The action from the city council this week simply sets up the incentive agreement with Fiserv but it does not finalize anything.

Later, the Overland Park City Council’s Finance, Administration and Economic Development Committee will take up a property tax rebate agreement for consideration before sending it to the full city council for final consideration.

At that time, terms for both the city and Fiserv will be officially hammered out.

Take advantage of this weekend’s community drop-off events at Overland Park Elementary, 8150 Santa Fe Drive. Stop by Friday or Saturday to responsibly dispose of bulky, unwanted items and free up some space at home.

Construction Debris Drop-OffMay 30-318 a.m.-2 p.m.

Have old decking, fencing, lumber or railroad ties taking up space?

Disposing of construction and demolition debris isn’t always easy, but we can help lighten your load at this weekend’s Construction Debris Drop-Off event.

Overland Park staff will be on-site to verify residency. Please bring proof of residency and help speed up the unloading process by containing materials in boxes, buckets or similar containers. Separating recyclable items in advance also helps us sort materials more efficiently.

Residents are limited to one visit and may bring no more than the amount that fits in a truck bed and a medium trailer. While staff will be available to assist, please plan to unload your materials.

Commercial waste will not be accepted.

Make an Appointment

Electronics Recycling + Shredding EventMay 319 a.m.-Noon

Clear out your clutter responsibly! Bring your old electronics, including computers, TVs, phones, rechargeable batteries, stereos and small appliances like microwaves and toasters. If it has a cord or runs on batteries, chances are we’ll take it.

All electronic data will be securely erased or destroyed, so you can recycle with confidence. Secure document shredding will also be available on-site. A suggested donation of $5 per box helps support this service.

Fees apply for certain electronics:

Cash and card payments are accepted. Please enter the event from Robinson Street.

Learn more about the City’s sustainability initiatives and upcoming environmental events at opkansas.org/sustainability.

Opinion articles provide independent perspectives on key community issues, separate from our newsroom reporting.

Guest Commentary

As the federal government under the Trump administration scales back critical climate initiatives — freezing funds, jeopardizing vital research and even attempting to stifle state-level action — the urgency for local leadership has never been clearer. While Washington retreats from the Paris Agreement and hamstrings progress, communities such as ours in Overland Park are stepping up to meet the challenge head-on.

Here in Overland Park, we understand that climate action isn’t just an abstract global issue — it’s about our community’s well-being. We’ve approved green building objectives for new and rehabbed city facilities, rebuilt Fire Station No. 41 with solar power and helped residents improve energy efficiency. We’re also investing in resilience by burying power lines and expanding access to electric vehicle charging and solar energy throughout the city.

This proactive approach is vital for Kansas. As a leading agricultural producer, the heartland is directly threatened by rising temperatures, droughts and heat waves. The looming depletion of the Ogallala Aquifer, which supplies a significant amount of our state’s daily water, affects every Kansan. Here in Overland Park, we face increasing risks of severe weather, extreme heat and flooding — threats projected to worsen across our state, with eastern Kansas expected to see significantly hotter summers.

While Gov. Laura Kelly’s efforts to address water challenges are a welcome step, local governments must fill the void left by a lack of comprehensive federal and state strategies. And unlike many national efforts, our climate actions offer immediate, tangible benefits: planting trees for shade, installing solar panels to cut energy costs, improving home efficiency to lower bills, creating sustainable landscaping for beauty and water conservation, and expanding transportation options for cleaner, easier commutes.

These may seem like small steps, but multiplied across communities, they create a significant impact. We cannot undo the damage of federal inaction, but by leading locally, we can mitigate harm and build a foundation for a future where climate change is taken seriously.

Overland Park is committed to making our community more livable, resilient and sustainable, regardless of the headwinds from Washington.

Logan Heley has represented Ward 1 on the Overland Park City Council since 2018 and is a member of Climate Action KC.