Crews to start moving ground for Wyandotte County’s incoming Mattel theme park
Residents in Bonner Springs, Kansas, may soon see ground moving out on 180 acres slated for an incoming theme park and entertainment district.
Now that the group developing Mattel’s newest destination center recently acquired the needed land to begin construction, the project can move forward, according to the City of Bonner Springs.
People can expect to see construction trailers on site near 118th Street and State Avenue within the next 60 days, said Megan Gilliland, the city’s economic development director.
Developer Epic Resort Destinations plans to bring the $539 million attraction, dubbed Destination KCK, to Bonner Springs by 2030. Their development agreement with the city stipulates construction must begin in 2027 and reach completion within three years.
The attraction, which grew from its initial $490 million proposal, will include a Mattel-themed adventure park, hotels, and other family-friendly retail spaces. Should all go according to plan, that development will join a neighborhood of sales tax and revenue (STAR) bond projects out in western Wyandotte County.
Bonner Springs City Council members approved entering a STAR bond agreement with the developers and Kansas Department of Commerce to help finance the project’s construction. Using the financing tool will allow officials to draw local and state sales tax revenues generated within the incoming development toward paying off the bond debt taken out to build it.
Bonner Springs granted the project a total $221 million in tax incentives to help pay for the project’s construction. That includes about $175 million in net sales and transient guest tax revenue; $15 million in tax increment financing dollars; and $31 million from a community improvement district established in the project area.
Through the tax increment financing, Epic Resort Destination will see a 25% property tax reduction. The remaining 75% that they will pay to Bonner Springs’ taxing entities will be used to develop infrastructure, such as sewer line expansions, in the area.
Epic Resort Destinations will be required to complete infrastructure and construction within the site. The developer acquired the land needed to construct the property in mid-January, Gilliland said.
Chiefs, more next door
The development is slated to reach completion before the Kansas City Chiefs are due to complete their $3 billion, domed stadium next door in Kansas City, Kansas. Should agreements and construction go as state and team officials have planned, the stadium would be in operation in time for the 2031 season.
Although the projects are separate, and their bond districts are separate, the Chiefs stadium and Mattel park would add to the options for families and visitors in the Kansas City metro, Gilliland said. And the stadium being immediately north of the development could bring some interest to Bonner Springs’ north side.
This story was originally published February 22, 2026 at 6:12 AM.
