Leawood OKs deadline for city hall demolition

During the nearly 200-minute meeting of the Leawood Governing Body on June 15, a plan was finally put in motion to redevelop the area around 96th & Lee Boulevard in Leawood.

With the redevelopment will come the demolition of the old Leawood City Hall building at 9615 Lee Blvd, which has been shuttered since 1994. The master plan calls for the creation of a new public park where the building, built in 1953, now stands.

Councilmembers unanimously approved the revised preliminary development plan for Leawood Fire Station 1 and the creation of the new park, which will feature a playground and walking trail.  

Leawood’s original fire station will also be renovated with some elements brought down in order to create a new patio area.This revised plan had also been unanimously approved last month by the City’s Planning Commission. 

The motion carried 7-0, with all council members acknowledging the demolition was decades in the making and did not come lightly. Mayor Marc Elkins read a statement from Ward 1 Councilmember Matt Peppes, who was absent due to a family emergency.

Peppes said the city needs to balance preservation efforts with other priorities, saying the park fills a need in north Leawood. He added there has been ample time over the past two decades to formulate a better concept, a statement fellow council members agreed with.

Ward 2 Councilmember Mary Larson raised concerns about the project’s rising price tag — now up to $3.6 million — but ultimately said she was ready to move forward despite that as well as the emotional weight the issue carried for residents.

“We’ve been discussing this since 2001,” Larson said. “It’s time to go.” 

Ward 3 Councilmember Lisa Harrison recalled the issue as being one of the first things she voted on after being elected ten years ago. She cast a vote to save the old City Hall. “What I didn’t know about then was the triple threat of lead, asbestos and mold,” Harrison said. “We have spent more time on this than any other issue.” Recent building inspections note the presence of all three of those environmental hazards. 

Preservation discussions in recent years have centralized on costs associated with mold and asbestos remediation. Ward 1 Councilmember Alan Sunkel said they will now have to figure out how to pay for razing the entire building at the $3.6 million price tag. 

Concepts such as an ice cream and coffee shop inside the old City Hall were brought up again during public comment. Former Councilmember Debra Filla said these ideas showed the most promise and were a way to save the building and history it held. She asked the council for one more year for efforts to save it.

“It’s a piece of art,” Filla said.

JoLynn Hobbs, President of the Leawood HOA, was also on hand to give an opening statement. Hobbs emailed her concerns to the Telegraph earlier this month and reiterated her talking points during public comment.

“I would much rather rework the original city hall building into an open-air shelter that can be enjoyed by our residents than tearing down the historic building for grass,” Hobbs said. 

Ward 4 Councilmember Julie Cain said the body has tried to find a compromise through the years. Ward 3 Councilmember Rachel Rubin said the burden is on residents to provide money and a blueprint for saving the building.

“We do have wealthy residents, and they have had time to come forward to save (the building),” Rubin said.

Ward 2 Councilmember Sherrie Gayed called the plan “beautiful” while acknowledging that no plan would be perfect. She also acknowledged the plan wasn’t final.“We do have 2 years to get a final plan,” Gayed said. “I do believe we are ready to move forward.” 

Mayor Elkins confirmed during the meeting that the body was setting a deadline of 24 months for a final plan to be brought together. 

The Mayor took votes on the resolution at 9:30 p.m. After the seven Councilmembers voted in favor of it. 

Hobbs was the first of a handful of residents in attendance who were already making their way for the door to depart City Hall, perhaps for the last time.