Overland Park is exploring ways to make a roughly 2.5-mile chunk of 79th Street and the surrounding area more walkable, bike-friendly and accessible.
The study for the conceptual plan — called the 79th Street Corridor Plan — will focus on the 79th Street corridor between the I-35 Frontage Road and Lamar Avenue. It’s part of the Mid-America Regional Council’s Planning Sustainable Places initiative.
Brian Jackson, an Overland Park senior planner who focuses on long-range planning, is leading the process for the 79th Street study.
“The goal is to make [the corridor] more accessible, safer and just generally a more enjoyable place for users of all modes and abilities,” Jackson said.
What is a corridor plan?
- Overland Park and other cities use corridor plans and attached studies to inventory transportation infrastructure, some needs in a defined area and potential improvements.
- Previously, the city has implemented large-scale plans, like Vision Metcalf, as well as more comparable studies, like the Merriam Connected Corridor Plan.
No big changes to 79th Street are coming up yet
The end result of the 79th Street study will be a conceptual plan, Jackson said, not an “instruction document.” That means the completion of the study won’t automatically trigger changes in the corridor, but serve as more of a guide for future development and infrastructure projects in the study area.
“This would kind of be a reflection of what the community would like to see improved on 79th Street,” he said, though the idea would be to eventually transform the 79th Street corridor into a transportation network “that works for everybody.”
That being said, Jackson sees 79th Street as a sort of “unique” case. That’s because some areas of the corridor already have some “complete street” features, like bike racks and sidewalks, particularly around the downtown area.
But, he said, these features are “just not deployed consistently,” which means there are gaps that this study and eventual plan could address.
“This is really a nice place to kind of get an idea of how we can make this more consistent throughout the entire corridor and make it more of a community asset that reflects the needs and wants of those adjoining neighbors,” Jackson said.
What’s happening right now?
- The planning process for the corridor plan is just beginning.
- Right now, the consultants on the project Kimley-Horn and Associates are gathering data, Jackson said, like traffic volume and accident rates.
- They’re also surveying the existing infrastructure in the corridor, particularly where there are sidewalks, curb ramps and bike racks.
Next steps:
- Jackson said the city will turn to nearby residents and community members to get their input on what they think needs to be included and allow them to “shape the conceptual plan itself.”
- The first open house is set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 8, at the Matt Ross Community Center.
- Another round of community feedback is planned in early 2024 as well.
- All of that works toward an anticipated spring 2024 completion date, when the Overland Park City Council will likely weigh in as well.
- Later, the city will conduct an engineering study, which will lay out design recommendations and identify potential areas to implement the plan.
- From there, Overland Park might add projects to the capital improvement project list for future years.
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