5 key points from Olathe Mayor John Bacon’s State of the City

There are big things happening in Olathe this year, and Mayor John Bacon sees more big things to come.

That was the central theme of his annual State of the City address, delivered last Friday during a luncheon hosted by the Olathe Chamber of Commerce at the Olathe Conference Center.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I assure you this: our excellence will last well beyond tomorrow if we keep aspiring for it today,” Mayor Bacon said. “Excellence, I have no doubt that’s exactly what’s in store for Olathe.”

Olathe is seeing new activity in its downtown core

• The biggest news from the Olathe State of the City last week was the announcement that three popular KC restaurants would be opening new locations in downtown Olathe.
• Those are Pizza 51, Char Bar and Third Street Social, all of which got their start in the KC metro.
• In addition to those eateries, Bacon highlighted other new businesses that plan to open in the area, including HerMEtheus Coffee and Bikes 4 the Likes of Us.
• The city and the county have also put money into new civic spaces, like the new Johnson County Courthouse and the new Olathe Public Library downtown branch.
• There’s also a new public square for events and other gatherings.
• “Over the years, we’ve talked a lot about bringing downtown back to the destination it once was,” Bacon said. “My friends, I can tell you this, it’s back.”

Olathe is preparing a new long-range plan

• Recently, the city embarked on the development process for its new long-range plan called Elevate Olathe.
• When completed, it will guide development, redevelopment, transportation, infrastructure and many other decisions for the foreseeable future.
• The process to build it is expected to last 18 months with periodic public engagement sessions throughout.
• Bacon said the new plan will help keep Olathe “future-ready” and called it “a blueprint for tomorrow.”

Olathe is paving the way for major transportation projects

• Bacon also highlighted recent and upcoming transportation and infrastructure projects across the city.
• In particular, he mentioned the fast-approaching 119th Street extension project that intends to fill in the missing link on the road to allow east-to-west travel across the city.
• That $55 million project will include the construction of a new bridge to connect the road over Mill Creek, an existing trail and a railroad.
• Additionally, Bacon discussed the upcoming Santa Fe Street and Interstate 35 improvement project, which has been called the city’s “biggest project” at an estimated price tag of more than $200 million.
• The project will include new auxiliary lanes on I-35 through a chunk of Olathe, corridor improvements and a new single-point urban interchange at I-35 and Santa Fe.
  Work on that project is expected to begin in 2027 with design currently underway.

Olathe is investing millions into public safety, first responders

• Earlier this year, Olathe opened a new police department headquarters space that takes the place of an outdated 1980s-era building on the public safety campus on Old Highway 56.
• Olathe is also working with the FBI to open a new joint shooting range and training space in the city’s southern edge with an estimated shared cost of $15 million.
• The city is on track to open a new firehouse at College Boulevard and Woodland Road to cover a growing call volume in that area as well.
• Additionally, Olathe recently started the process of acquiring property to replace a “woefully outdated” animal shelter.
• On top of the capital projects, Olathe is spending some of its opioid settlement funds on new public-facing healthcare-oriented units that will work alongside the existing Mobile Integrated Health Unit to provide substance abuse care support.

Olathe is putting more money into parks

• Another major point Mayor Bacon focused on during the State of the City last week was the ongoing commitment to bring online new parks while also prioritizing investment in existing green spaces.
• Next to the new firehouse, Olathe is using donated historic property to open a new park called Pioneer Park.
• Olathe also continues to develop its trail system, including the Cedar Creek Trail which will eventually connect to Cedar Niles Park.
• The city also plans to spend $4.4 million reimagining Black Bob Park with new inclusive features, more shade areas and additional parking spots.

Keep reading: Trio of popular KC eateries coming to downtown Olathe