The Steering Committee met on August 28th to discuss concepts for improving downtown in the future.  Feedback from the meeting will be used to further refine concepts.  Over then next four to six weeks, the consultant team will prepare a draft of the plan for the committee to review and then bring it to public for additional input.

Many thanks to the dedicated business owners, residents, and city officials for their continued commitment and involvement!

What's happening?  Many exciting opportunities are occurring in downtown.  During the summer months, several development projects were emerging, resulting in the planning process for the Downtown Plan to throttle down a bit.  Confirming the direction of these projects assures that subsequent strategies complement these significant investments.  The design team met with the Technical Committee on July 24th to refresh the concept and identify additional items that need to be investigated before visiting with the Steering Committee on August 28th.  Hot projects that are on the development horizon:

• The Sunflower Development Group proposed a mixed-use project at 200 W. Santa Fe Street.
• Johnson County Courthouse and parking

What's next?  The Steering Committee will meet on August 28th to discuss development concepts for downtown.

The project team met with steering committee on May 15^th to review preliminary concepts developed during the public design studio in April. Concepts range from mobility improvements to redevelopment opportunities in downtown. These concepts will continue to be refined over the next two months for further evaluation by the steering committee in July.

Also, the project team met with Economic Development Commission on May 9^th to review the process and progress of the downtown plan.  Follow the link to view the PowerPoint position.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed their ideas and feedback!  The team looks forward to sharing more in the coming months.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Envision Olathe Design Studios on April 18th and 19th!  The next few months, the consultants will take the ideas discussed in these workshops and work closely with the steering committee to refine concepts for downtown Olathe.

The Steering Committee and City of Olathe identified several stakeholder groups to conduct two days of focus group discussions. These group and one-on-one meetings provide an opportunity to better understand the project area, its dynamics, opportunities and challenges, and potential future directions. Thank you to everyone who took their time and participated in this process!

Thank you for participating in the Kick-Off Event! You can find the ideas from the public meeting here. We look forward to continuing the discussion in April at the Design Studio!

We're updating the Envision Olathe Downtown Plan to continue
improving downtown Olathe as the heart of the community.

We have several months to discuss ideas, but we want to start with a
questionnaire to help us understand your interactions with downtown.

Thank you in advance for completing the questionnaire (and sharing it with your friends too)!

Questionnaire
(www.EnvisionOlathe.com/survey)

Download a poster to display

Olathe is updating its Downtown Plan and needs your help - whether you work, visit, or just travel through downtown, Olathe wants to hear from you!

Olathe is kicking off the Envision Olathe Downtown Plan Update to continue the revitalization of downtown.

You are invited to attend. Learn about the planning process and share your ideas about challenges and opportunities, current conditions, and desired improvements to make downtown an better place to visit, live, work, and play.

Where: City Hall Council Chambers (200 W Sante Fe Street)

When: Monday, March 20th at 6pm

The Envision Olathe Downtown Plan is underway! On February 6th, the Steering Committee, representing the differing interests in downtown, met for the first time.

This group will meet regularly to provide their input, ideas, and direction for what the downtown plan needs to include and address.

Planning Team Presentation (click here to view)

The committee was introduced to the process and scope of the project.  More importantly, the committee identified strengths and challenges facing downtown. Major themes include:

1. Olathe should have a downtown image center and community commons that other metro area communities are developing
2. Downtown Olathe should be a living place outside of typical business hours
3. Downtown should reinforce surrounding neighborhoods and vice versa
4. Downtown should be viewed as a multipurpose destination, a place to bring visitors
5. Downtown should be the heart of the community with activity corridors extending outward: along Santa Fe, Kansas City Road, and Kansas Avenue

The next months will be an exciting time for the community to design the future of its downtown.

To get involved, (1) take the survey here and (2) submit your ideas using the "Get Involved" tab!

Photos courtesy of www.jocohistory.org, a collaboration between the Johnson County Museum and Partners