Another Johnson County city says it’s outgrown its City Hall, moves to build new

The Overland Park City Council recently approved a purchase and sale agreement for a seven-story, 154,000-square foot building on College Boulevard and Metcalf Avenue to create a new City Hall building.

The current building – located at 8500 Santa Fe Dr. – is 60 years old and the campus is reaching the “end of its useful life,” according to the city — with the city facing challenges in serving its residents, finding adequate space for staff, meeting ADA requirements, reaching capacity limits in meeting spaces, and increasing maintenance costs.

The $109 million project – which was discussed during Monday’s City Council Committee of the Whole meeting – will include the city’s $22.5 million purchase of the building and $86.5 million plans to renovate the building, located across the street from the convention center at 6201 College Boulevard.

The cash to purchase the building will come from the city’s reserve fund and building improvements will come from the Capital Improvements Program. The city said this project will not raise property or sales taxes to fund the project and no public vote is required for the purchase.

Tenants still occupy the building, but once leases are up they will not be renewed. The city anticipates having full control and occupancy of the building by 2034.

While the city anticipates that the Overland Park Police Department will continue to have operations in the area, plans for the existing building are still undetermined and require a future study and analysis.

Other cities making improvements

Overland Park isn’t the only Johnson County city looking at City Hall improvements and expansions.

In northeast Johnson County, Prairie Village is looking at a near-$30 million project to build a new City Hall building and renovate its current building to accommodate the police department and municipal court.

Like Overland Park, Prairie Village has outgrown its 50-year-old building. City staff is working out of former closets, the police department has no evidence storage space and residents frequently have to stand in the hallway during public meetings. However it’s become the latest point of contention in the city, with one resident filing a lawsuit against the city for its decision.

Olathe, Johnson County’s second largest city behind Overland Park, closed parts of its city hall in February to make renovations to ensure that public and employee needs are met from their site on Santa Fe. Street in downtown Olathe. It’s part of a wider, $7.5 million project to improve city-owned facilities.

At city hall in particular, Olathe plans to make HVAC system updates, which haven’t occurred since the city took ownership of the building in 1998, and a new roof. Additionally, parts of the building will get new carpet, new paint, and new furniture.

The city website said that improvements will continue through this summer.

Leawood, which sits just south of Prairie Village, is discussing new plans for its old city hall and fire station buildings – which were built in the 1950s. Both buildings have problems, but the city hall building in particular has raised issues because of its size, lack of handicapped accessibility, mold and asbestos problems, and use of lead paint, according to Johnson County Reporting.

Because of its issues, the city was looking at removing the building and replacing it with a monument, or finding ways to do basic repairs to keep the building from deteriorating and use it in the future.

According to Johnson County Post reporting, an idea of putting a coffee shop in the city hall building has taken hold with some northern Leawood residents, who drew up a petition to make that happen and now has more than 788 signatures.

Overland Park building issues, new site plans

When the Overland Park City Hall was first developed in the 1960s, the Santa Fe Drive location was near most of Overland Park’s developed area. But as the city grew, its development expanded south, making it less convenient for most Overland Park residents.

The building’s current configuration makes it challenging for residents to find what they need and find themselves crammed during meetings because the City Council and Planning Commission chambers often reach capacity limits, according to the city.

“Visitors are sometimes confused and have to visit multiple locations to do simple city business, like filing a permit application,” the city said.

College Boulevard is centrally located within Overland Park, and the city’s comprehensive plan calls for strategic investments in the College and Metcalf area, including for civic activity.

Staff is also running out of room. Many offices are in the basement or interior spaces and meeting and conference rooms are regularly overbooked.

“While the number of public servants have increased to meet the population growth, the space at City Hall in which they work has not,” according to the city. “As the city expands and services and programs grow, more space will be needed in the future.”

Renovations will be conducted on a floor-by-floor basis as tenants complete their leases.

Staff anticipates that four floors will be vacant by 2030 and the additional three floors by 2032. Phased move-in schedules of various departments will happen.