ANDOVER — A real estate development that’s changing the face of Andover might not have happened if Mike Lies hadn’t taken the long view.
The retired periodontist didn’t get discouraged when his first attempts to buy some well-positioned agricultural property on the city’s east side failed two decades ago. He was patient when city officials initially expressed skepticism over his plans. And he didn’t panic when the coronavirus pandemic threw a costly wrench into the whole project.
Mike Lies
“The COVID deal really slowed us up and made everything a lot more expensive,” Lies said. “It changed the whole paradigm.”
But, he added, “We just kept chugging along.”
The result is The Heritage, a 110-acre mixed-use development that puts homes and apartments, restaurants, businesses and recreational opportunities within easy walking distance of each other. The development stretches from Kellogg in the south to Douglas in the north.
Lies is quick to spread credit for the project around, starting with his wife, Lucy. “My wife has always been very supportive of me doing what I wanted to do, and that’s been a key factor in my life.”
His partners say Lies’ patience and persistence were key.
“To look at a cotton field and think this should be the premier development on the east side of the metroplex takes a lot of vision,” said Jerry Jones of Jones Commercial Development.
Lies grew up in Andale, where Lieses are numerous. He practiced dentistry for 40 years in Wichita and has long been active in real estate and other business ventures.
Mike and Lucy Lies, seated, are shown with family members at the opening of The Heritage last year. “The Heritage Man” sculpture commissioned by Mike can be seen in the background.
“When you’re in a dentist office, you’re locked up for eight, 10 hours a day, and you’re a slave to your schedule,” the longtime Andover resident said. “I enjoy this a lot more.”
Lies credits real estate veteran Marlin Penner with first alerting him to the property’s potential and eventually helping Lies and Lies’ son-in-law, Lance Biel, acquire several parcels.
“Many years ago, before anything was there, it was a pasture owned by Dr. Harvey Ellis,” Lies said of the biggest piece. “Later on, they grew cotton and milo there.”
“I didn’t know what it would be, if it would be housing or what,” he added. “I just knew it was an ideal location.”
But for a while, nothing much happened with the property. Andover officials, Lies said, “weren’t very growth-oriented in the beginning, but they’ve been extremely helpful and very good to work with the last 10 or 15 years, I would say.”
That’s likely because the city’s own surveying of residents found that they didn’t want to drive to Wichita for all their destination shopping and dining.
Penner also introduced Lies and Biel to Jones, who had helped develop NewMarket Square, the Shops at Tallgrass and other projects. The partners worked closely with Andover officials to make The Heritage happen. The city approved needed zoning and infrastructure improvement financing while Lies donated land for Yorktown Parkway — which now runs along the east side of the property — along with right-of-way for the planned expansion of Kellogg.
The first parts of the project to open were Courtyards at the Heritage, consisting of 89 patio homes, and Heritage Commons, which has 96 single-family homes. Both were developed by Perfection Builders of Wichita and are located at the north end of the property. Since then, the five-story, 186-unit SkyLofts apartments and several buildings holding commercial tenants have followed. Tenants include restaurants, a dental office, nail salon and more.
Through the center of the development runs a linear park with sidewalks and water features that’s known as Heritage Park Plaza, which Lies dedicated to the city. “It’s really going to be like an old downtown, except it’s brand new,” he said.
Lies also commissioned a giant bronze sculpture, called The Heritage Man, by well-known western artist Curt Mattson. It depicts a farmer bent over a spade, resolutely working Kansas sod.
“It’s a tribute to the original settlers of the Andover area, who came looking for fertile soil and a place to raise their families,” Lies said. “In a historical context, there’s nothing like it around.”
Lies said the SkyLofts apartments are about 85 percent full, and commercial tenants are thriving. “You go out there on a Saturday or Sunday and you can’t get into Livingston’s (Cafe),” he said. “Social Tap (Drinkery) is just knocking them dead.”
There’s more to come. The Residence at Heritage West, a 60-unit senior apartment building developed by Salina-based Overland Property Group, is expected to open later this year, and QuikTrip plans a location there. Jones is working to land a hotel and more commercial buildings are planned.
And Lies, who retired from his dentistry practice more than a decade ago, is far from done. “We have a number of different projects in and around Andover,” said Lies, who won the Andover Chamber of Commerce’s Legacy Award in 2025. “I just like doing entrepreneurial things.”
