After several years and multiple budget increases, construction of Olathe’s new animal shelter can now begin.
On Tuesday night, the Olathe City Council voted 4-0 to approve the rezoning and preliminary site development plans for the 7-acre property at the northwest corner of Santa Fe Street and Ridgeview Road, the future home for the new Olathe Animal Care Campus.
Mayor John Bacon and Councilmembers Jeff Creighton, Kevin Deneault and Dean Vakas approved the ordinance. Councilmembers LeEtta Felter, Matthew Schoonover and Robyn Essex were absent.
The planning commission had previously approved the project 7-0.
Vakas said the new shelter will significantly impact the quality of life in the city.
“There is no doubt that this new build will serve Olathe well for the next 30 to 50 years,” Councilmember Vakas said. “Finally, we’re correcting a long-standing need that is our shortcomings in the management of animal welfare.”
What the new shelter will include
The new shelter will replace the city’s current shelter at 505 E. Sunvale Drive, which opened in 1988 and hasn’t undergone major renovations since.
The development will be 21,600 square feet — over five times as big as the current shelter. It will have outdoor kennels with overhangs and a dog-walking trail.
A split over the project budget
In December, the city council approved a third budget increase for the project, bringing the total to $25 million.
The shelter was originally allocated $15 million in the city’s 2025-29 Capital Improvement Plan in 2023. Staff said unanticipated costs for land acquisition, additional design and project management, as well overall construction costs, increased the price tag.
The city council approved an additional $4 million of funding last March.
Quality of LIfe Director Mike Sirna said animal shelters are particularly expensive to build because of their unique requirements, like disease-resistant floors and walls and special HVAC systems.
The city council was split 4-3 at December’s vote.
Councilmembers Schoonover and Felter, who, along with former councilmember Kevin Gilmore, cast the dissenting votes, said the city has more pressing needs for the additional funds.
“In this environment, affordability for our residents has to be a higher priority for me,” Felter said.
Schoonover asked if a “three- or four- star facility would be acceptable” so other CIP projects can receive additional funding.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, Bacon said he wished the project wasn’t as expensive, but is still excited for it.
“I’ve been at the old facility several times, and I echoed the thoughts that it needs to be replaced,” he said.
Construction on the new shelter will begin this summer and last about a year.
