The details: The developer proposes to convert the church into a four-story, 30-room boutique hotel with self check-in and minimal staff on the premises, according to city documents.

• The plan also calls for several improvements to the site, including widening sidewalks along Overland Park Drive and 81st Street and adding an exterior patio space to the northeast corner of the property.

What they’re saying: SixTwentyOne co-founder Jacob Littrell told the Kansas City Business Journal that the hotel could also include a speakeasy and a screening room in the basement that would play classic cinema around the clock.

• SixTwentyOne officials did not immediately respond to the Post’s request for comment for this story.

Background: In 2017, Barton submitted a proposal to convert the church into an office space and parking garage as part of his $54 million Edison District, but those plans never came into fruition.

• The plan at that time was to preserve the historic portion of the church that dated back to the 1920s, but the newer sanctuary would have been demolished to make way for a four-level parking structure.
• Barton’s Edison District at 80th and Marty was completed in 2020 and now includes 100,000 square feet of office space, retail and the Strang Hall food hall.

Zooming out: The church property originally went on sale in 2016 after the congregation determined it could not afford the roughly $150,000 in repairs needed to bring a functioning boiler and air conditioning system to the original building, which was completed in 1929.

• The sanctuary building that would be demolished under the developers’ original proposal was completed in 1970.
• Since selling their property, the church’s congregation has relocated to a different building at 7810 W. 79th Street.

What’s next for downtown Overland Park church building

A preliminary development plan for the boutique hotel is expected to come before the Overland Park Planning Commission at its Dec. 12 meeting.

• If approved by the commission, the project would then be presented to the Overland Park City Council for final approval.