An accessible and inclusive playground is coming to Olathe’s Two Trails Park. 

The project will be funded with a $3 million grant from Variety KC, a nonprofit that supports children with disabilities. 

Construction on the playground, which will be designed to allow people with a range of physical, sensory and cognitive abilities to play together, will begin next summer.

The Olathe City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved using $750,000 from the city’s park sales tax revenues to go towards the project.

Variety KC selected Olathe earlier this year to be one of 10 cities in the metro to receive the grant, as part of the organization’s Ten Parks Project. (The group also tapped Joe D. Dennis Park in Westwood as another spot for an inclusive playground.) 

Through a $30 million commitment from the Peter and Veronica Mallouk Family Foundation, Variety KC is building inclusive play spaces across the Kansas City area. 

City Engineer Nate Baldwin presented the project to the city council on Tuesday. 

The playground will include accessible pathways, rubberized safety surfacing, ramps, activity stations and sensory play areas. 

“These playground elements create safe, equitable and engaging spaces for people of all ages and physical, sensory and cognitive abilities,” Baldwin said. 

Beyond the playground equipment, the Two Trails project includes restrooms, lighting, landscaping and parking improvements. The existing park shelter and benches may also be modified.

Variety KC will oversee the design and construction of the playground. 

“But we are a partner with them, so we’re there every step of the way,” Baldwin said. 

There isn’t a final design yet, but Baldwin showed examples from other Variety KC playgrounds. The organization also helped create a playground and baseball field at Olathe’s College Boulevard Activity Center.

The Two Trails playground is expected to open in spring 2028. 

Focus on inclusivity

The Two Trails playground will add to Olathe’s accessible recreation options. 

Construction is currently underway for Halo Ridge, an ultra-accessible entertainment district at 119th Street and Renner Boulevard. 

Part of the development is “Michael’s Wonderworld,” an amusement park designed for people of all abilities. 

The project is backed by Lamar Hunt Jr., whose grandson Michael was born with a genetic condition that requires him to use a wheelchair and a feeding tube. 

Halo Ridge will also have an accessible sports arena, a hotel and a health care center. 

During Tuesday’s discussion, Councilmember LeEtta Felter touted the two projects. 

“It just is on brand and who we are at heart,” she said.