After years of wrangling and indecision, the Leawood City Council on Monday approved a master plan for what will become a park and gathering space at the site of the city’s first fire station and city hall.
The plan includes a gathering space in a revamped fire station, an ornamental garden, a walking trail, a playground and a HAWK, or High Intensity Activated Crosswalk, traffic signal to stop cars for pedestrians crossing Lee Boulevard.
It does not include the former city hall.
That building, which had environmental and accessibility issues, will eventually be razed. But the decision not to preserve it has upset supporters who wanted to keep it standing, and perhaps see it converted into a coffee shop or some type of public community space.
Those supporters put up a fierce campaign with a petition drive that got about 1,000 signatures, an offer to buy the building and insistent emails to councilmembers.
They continued to fight up until the last minute Monday, as councilmembers prepared to vote.
“As a 30-year Leawood resident, I am heartbroken that the city council feels the original city hall building has no value or purpose,” said JoLynn Hobbs during the public comment portion of the meeting. “It is unconscionable to tear down a beloved historic building for grass.”
Demolition won’t happen anytime soon
Hobbs referenced a vote by a previous city council to preserve the building and said she was shocked about the plan because she had considered it safe from demolition.
Hobbs, former Councilmember Debra Filla and two others spoke in favor of keeping the city hall building. They proposed either a pause in approving the master plan or a modification to it that would somehow exclude demolition while preservation funding is sought.
Councilmembers, however, stayed with the plan. Their vote was 7-0. Councilmember Matt Peppes was absent but sent a letter saying he supports the master plan.
Councilmembers took pains to assure residents that there is no possibility of shovels turning ground for the immediate future. The master plan is a guiding document for future development of the park on 3.7 acres at 96th Street and Lee Boulevard, they said, and as such it does not come with funds or a construction timeline.
The matter would have to come back before the planning commission and council for a review of the granular details and budget for any final development plan.
“Nothing that we do tonight is going to end up with earth movers or anything else happening next week,” said Mayor Marc Elkins.
A decision years in the making
The future of the 1950’s-era buildings has been on the minds of council members for years.
The former Fire Station 1 currently houses a 1949 pumper truck. The building was last used as a functioning station in 2023, before a new, modern fire station was opened next door.
The 1,100-square-foot former city hall has been out of service since 1994 and has numerous problems that would make it expensive to stabilize and rehab, the city says.
Building investigators found evidence of asbestos, mold and lead paint. The basement, reachable only by stairs, also makes the building problematic for ADA accessibility, council members have been told.
Discussion of what to do with the property has proceeded in fits and starts over the years, including a pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the fall of 2024, the city council took it up again, with the intention of getting a master plan written by the end of 2025.
Councilmembers decided it would not be practical to save the city hall building and planned park use around a repurposed Fire Station 1.
But the final decision was once again delayed in late 2025, after planning commissioners declined to approve it and asked for more public input and discussion of possibly keeping the city hall building.
“A lot of people are going to be very upset”
Councilmembers Monday night said they have agonized over the decision because of the emotional attachment some residents have to the old city hall. They said they have looked for every possible way to satisfy the often changing requests of the community.
Councilmember Julie Cain said that, at different points, residents have asked for work on the park to come to a halt in order for the council to pursue sidewalks on the east side of Lee Boulevard and other pedestrian safety measures.
Although that won’t happen, the council has worked hard to answer residents’ concerns, she said. There have been numerous revisions regarding pedestrian safety going into the park, restroom access and kitchenette facilities.
Councilmember Mary Larson said the buildings have been the subject of 50 city-led meetings since 2001.
“A child born when I first started talking about it is now 25 years old,” she said.
Councilmember Lisa Harrison agreed, saying she was part of the discussion ten years ago as a member of the city historic commission.
“We have spent more time on this issue than any other city property that I’m aware of,” she said. “When I voted to save the old city hall almost ten years ago, I did so not knowing about the triple threat of lead, asbestos and mold. I also did not understand that it would take more than $100,000 just to make the space ADA compliant.”
“There is nothing of local or regional historical significance that took place in the old city hall. It was simply the first building where things happened in Leawood,” she continued. “It is a cute building; there is no doubt of that.”
Councilmembers Rachel Rubin and Alan Sunkel voted in favor, but each expressed some reservations.
Sunkel asked about setting a deadline that would give a clear picture of how much time supporters of the old city hall would have to raise private funds or find grant money for its restoration before it could be demolished. But he was told by staff that the master plan doesn’t include funding or a timeline for demolition. That would be up to the council at a future meeting.
Rubin said it bothers her to make a decision that will make some people unhappy.
“I don’t want to make a decision that people are still upset about. I think there is a lot of emotional attachment to old city hall. A lot of people are going to be very upset if that is demolished,” she said. “I think some people will feel hurt, and people’s emotions and feelings are important.”
Rubin added she would have expected some fundraising to have already taken place to save the city hall building.
Councilmember Sherrie Gayed said, “I think the challenge with anything is that not everybody is going to be 100% satisfied.”
Councilmembers Harrison, Gayed, Larson, Cain, Sunkel, Rubin and Steven Kaster all voted for the plan. Peppes was absent, but sent a letter expressing support.
