Downtown Olathe Active Transportation Connectivity Plan Honored by Mid-America Regional Council

The Kansas Avenue Downtown Olathe Active Transportation Connectivity Plan has been honored by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) as a 2025 Vibrant Success Story as part of the Planning Sustainable Places program. The program promotes concepts consistent with sustainable communities and the advancement of site-specific and project-specific activities within the centers and corridors planning framework. The Kansas Avenue Downtown Olathe Active Transportation Connectivity Plan received top honors among the five honorees. 

In 2019, the Olathe City Council and staff, in partnership with RDG Planning & Design, initiated a process to envision downtown Olathe, Kansas, as a more vibrant destination. The resulting Kansas Avenue streetscape plan transforms a vehicle-oriented corridor into a safe and welcoming place for pedestrians through various improvements, including pavement rehabilitation, wider sidewalks, ADA-compliant ramps, a protected cycle track, streetscape plantings, decorative lighting, and narrowing travel lanes to calm traffic. Collectively, these updates help slow vehicle speeds to improve pedestrian crossings, strengthen bike connections and create an attractive public realm that invites people to spend time downtown.

The community is already seeing the impact: increased foot traffic, four new restaurants and recent investments, such as a new apartment building and library, reflect growing interest in the district. As developers take notice, the corridor’s refreshed character is helping drive Olathe’s broader downtown revitalization. 

On December 5, 2025, MARC celebrated local 2025 Vibrant Success Stories and honorees funded through the Planning Sustainable Places program. All honorees are projects that have successfully advanced integrated transportation, land use and environmental planning at the local level to support vibrant, connected and green places.