Is Pegah's in Merriam closing? Depends who you ask

Pegah’s Family Restaurant, a family-owned eatery in Johnson County, is planning to close its Merriam location near the former Kmart site on Shawnee Mission Parkway— but there are conflicting messages on whether that shutdown will be temporary or permanent.

What the restaurant says: In a statement posted to Facebook Monday, Pegah’s said it would close its Merriam location at the corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road starting Oct. 2.

The details: The post now says that the restaurant is “temporarily” closing, but the original post did not say that, according to comments Pegah’s exchanged with some Facebook users under the post.

The post goes on to say that Pegah’s “parking lot is being redeveloped” and that the Merriam restaurant “will be back next year when the project is complete.”
“Upon our return will be a brand new building,” the post reads.

What’s going on? While it is not explicitly stated on the Facebook post, it appears the redevelopment Pegah’s referenced is the Merriam Grand Station project, a $130 million plan to remake the long-vacant Kmart site at that busy intersection.

Pegah’s owner did not immediately respond to the Shawnee Mission Post’s request for a comment on Tuesday.

But hold on: Pegah’s Facebook post contradicts information contained in city documents for the Merriam Grand Station project and what the developer says are plans for that site.

What developer, city documents say: Plans for Merriam Grand Station outlined in city documents that have been discussed at city council over the past few months say that Pegah’s will be demolished as part of the redevelopment of the former Kmart site.

Furthermore, Matt Pennington, president of Drake Development which is developing the site told the Post in an interview Tuesday that Pegah’s will not be part of the new development.

Pegah's — A rendering of the Merriam Grand Station development at the former Kmart property looking southwest at the corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road. File image courtesy Drake Development.

Bigger picture: The Merriam Grand Station redevelopment plan promises roughly 10,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, 10,000 square feet of civic space, a parking structure and two apartment buildings with at least 350 total units.