Old Leawood City Hall will be torn down. See top contender for new park layout

Despite one last push of resistance from some residents, Leawood is moving forward with plans to demolish the old City Hall and make way for new open space, two playgrounds and a demonstration garden.

Plans for the nearly 4 acre site on 96th Street and Lee Boulevard, which includes the historic City Hall building and former fire station, have been in the works for years. The site has been the centerpiece of an effort over the last year from north Leawood residents who have been advocating for better walkability in their part of the Johnson County city.

Several of those residents proposed turning the City Hall building into a community hub of sorts.

On Monday night, the City Council gave their last suggestions to create a final layout that’s scheduled to go before residents during an open house on May 12 and to a final vote later this summer.

During the discussion, the City Council compared two options for the new park’s layout — both of which would feature two play spaces for different age groups, a demonstration garden, and the old fire station. Both options require the demolition of this historic City Hall.

The fire station site would be renovated to become a new multipurpose center with a kitchenette, concessions area and restrooms. A new patio with decorative pavement extending along the east, south and west sides of the fire station would be added.

While the map hasn’t been finalized, council members appeared to favor a plan that would place the parking lot on the south side of the former fire station and the demonstration garden on the west side of the building, adjacent to Lee Boulevard.

The layout depicts a one-sixth of a mile walking loop around the perimeter of the site. Some celebrated the additional walkability and accessibility a small loop may provide, but others were concerned about the loss of green space and the trail’s proximity to homes near the site.

Despite hesitancy, it appears that the walking trail will move forward, but with efforts to move the trail farther away to provide more of a buffer from the nearby homes.

“I think this is a chance, we’ve heard so much feedback about walkability in north Leawood, we could give them some sidewalks, playspace,” Ward 3 City Councilmember Lisa Harrison said. “Yes it takes a little green space away, but I think it’s a real asset. I think you’ll love it once you have it.”

Final strides to save City Hall

After being approached by residents who wanted to see the historic City Hall saved and transformed, Mayor Marc Elkins presented one last question to see if the City Council wanted to save the building.

Residents who advocated for the City Hall building wanted to see a new coffee and ice cream shop operate out of the site as part of a way to create a community hub in north Leawood.

Hearing them out, Elkins said he met with Ethan Starr, the executive director for Historic Kansas City — a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving historic buildings in the metro — to discuss other funding options outside of the city’s budget to help preserve the site.

“And I will say Mr. Starr made a pretty persuasive case to me … There are grants and other types of financing that are available to owners to do historic preservation,” Elkins said. “Is there appetite to explore in greater detail to explore funding other than the city for a renovation project?”

But council members didn’t bite.

“I feel like we’ve had 30 years of this building sitting empty for folks to go and get grants and look for creative ways to reuse this space,” Harrison said. “It’s a little frustrating because it’s trying to roll the dice to get a different answer and consider something like that.”

But Ward 2 City Councilmember Mary Larson said she wanted to incorporate coffee and ice cream into the site, if possible.

“I do feel a responsibility where we made a commitment to activate this space for some type of service like that,” she said. “I do feel like we made a commitment, and in my mind, when we made a decision not to keep City Hall that this service would come out of this building.”

Parks, Recreation and Arts Director Chris Claxton said that the city could work with its current contracts, Kona Ice and Tom’s Traveling Coffee, to set up their food trucks on certain days of the week to provide services. The companies come to the pool and to soccer fields, and the city gets a percentage of the proceeds.

Most of the City Council appeared on board with this option, but they didn’t take a final vote. BBN will first make adjustments to the plan based on feedback and come back to the Planning Commission on May 26 at 6 p.m. The City Council is scheduled to issue its final vote on the project on June 15 at 7 p.m. Both meetings are at City Hall, 4800 Town Center Drive.

The open house on May 12 will go from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Wave at 106, 10603 Lee Blvd.

This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 1:34 PM.