Today, most people know Parkville Commons as the place to go for their everyday needs. From its flagship tenant, Price Chopper, to some of Parkville’s favorite restaurants — such as Nick and Jake’s, Acre, Sakae Sushi, Pizza Hut and Jimmy John's — Parkville Commons has it all.
“The developer had a great vision and a great plan for Parkville Commons, and we were excited to be part of it from the beginning,” stated Alan McKeever, owner of McKeever’s Price Chopper. The original vision for the center was to provide basic community services to support the growing population base created by The National, Riss Lake, Thousand Oaks and the surrounding area. The focus on community services brought in Walgreens, Pride Cleaners, Parkville Eye Center, Cycle City, and Twill, to name a few.
Parkville Commons has come a long way since late 2000, when the property known as Parkville Heights was placed under contract. Then the world changed forever on September 11, 2001, and the financial markets collapsed, as did the contract on Parkville Heights. However, the vision did not die. In 2002, Parkville Heights was back under contract. In 2003, design, engineering, and the first phase of financing were complete.
For history buffs and old-line Parkville residents, Parkville Heights was remembered as the home of Apple Market, which was part of the historic Muehlebach & Sons grocery business that started in 1874. The site in Parkville Commons marked the final chapter of the oldest continuous father-and-son grocery business in America — the Parkville location was open from 1968 to 2003. A monument has been erected in the grassy area next to Nick and Jake’s to honor the Muehlebach family and their tradition of serving the community.
The developers, in keeping with the theme “provide community services,” donated property to Platte County to construct the Platte County Community Center, commonly known as the Parkville YMCA. The Parkville YMCA opened in 2005 and currently boasts one of the largest memberships of any YMCA in the United States.
Buoyed by the success of Parkville Commons, the developer approached the City with an idea: move City Hall to the new development. The financing would come from a simple source — the extra sales tax revenue generated by Parkville Commons' own tenants, not any new tax. The City and developer agreed to the plan, and construction began in late 2005. Parkville City Hall opened in 2006, and every year since, that increase in sales tax revenue has covered the debt payments on the building. As a result, Parkville got a new City Hall without issuing bonds or putting its credit on the line. The project was funded entirely by private investment, made possible by capturing the added sales tax activity through municipal incentives.
In 2007, the developers opened more storefronts speculatively, betting that demand would follow. They were right, and it was leased quickly. Today, Imperial Golf, Rio Salon, Parkville Nutrition, Country Financial, and Petersen’s Pets fill the 31,000 square feet.
In 2010, the developer behind Parkville Commons and The National partnered with MoDOT to donate over $2 million in right-of-way land along Highway 45, enabling the highway's expansion from Highway 9 to Hampton Road. The project was completed in 2012, the same year Heartland Health opened its new health and wellness center there — now part of the St. Luke's health network.
Since 2012, Parkville Commons has operated as a community-minded retail center, always ensuring it provided the goods and services families in the surrounding area needed. The center was sold in mid-2023.
"We take great pride in continuing the vision of the original developers and will continue to make Parkville Commons a destination everyone can take great pride in," said Dwight Medbery, current manager and part owner of Parkville Commons. As part of the sale, the developer retained three parcels in front of City Hall — and, in keeping with their promise, donated that property to Parkville in 2025.
Parkville Commons is an example of how a public/private partnership can work, with both parties enjoying the benefits of a long-standing relationship. Today, this retail center generates over a million dollars a year in sales tax receipts and $900,000 in real estate taxes for Parkville and Platte County — not bad for an area 25 years ago that was once deemed a blight.
Special thanks to Tony Borchers and Jim Allen, whose reporting provided background research for this article.
Dale and his wife of 40 years, Elaine, have been part of Platte County for 23 years. Dale is a philanthropist and creator of Generosity USA and volunteers numerous hours to civic organizations. Professionally, he is a CPA, CFO, and has overseen numerous small businesses with combined annual budgets in excess of $35 million.