Lenexa accepts Parks & Recreation Master Plan
Published on April 17, 2024
Having a place to play, recreate and celebrate ranks high on Lenexa’s list of priorities. In fact, residents consider it a top-five service the City provides. But how do decision-makers know what amenities the community desires?
They research and they ask.
The Lenexa City Council accepted the 2024 Parks & Recreation Master Plan on April 16, 2024. The plan is the result of more than a year of research and community input and it will now serve as a roadmap for parks and recreation in Lenexa for the next five to 10 years.
Items that surfaced for future investment but do not yet have allocated funds include:
- Improved walking and biking trails
- Parks and preservation
- An off-leash dog park
- Increased outdoor recreation and nature programming
- A splash pad or spray ground for young kids
- Additional pickleball courts
- Continued investment in the Lenexa Farmers Market
- Additional adult fitness, wellness and enrichment programs
- More art, history and culture programming
- Continued investment in maintaining current parks
“We have a good handle on trends and best practices in Parks & Recreation, but knowing what residents really want, what they think our community needs, that’s what’s most important,” said Lenexa Parks & Recreation Director Logan Wagler. “The new Master Plan will guide our efforts, funding and where we put our resources for the next decade.”
Lenexa Parks & Recreation worked with Landworks Studio to complete the new master plan. The City hosted two open houses — one to get ideas and another to make sure those were the right ideas. More than 100 people stopped by to give input. In addition, residents had six months to share their ideas through an online feedback tool called Social Pinpoint. More than 1,000 people weighed in on what they liked and didn’t like and ideas they had for improvement. Parks & Recreation also hosted 10 focus groups to gain insight. Finally, the City encouraged residents to give feedback in its newsletters, on its social media channels and in TownTalk, its resident magazine.
Landworks Studio assessed current and future facility needs, parks and park amenities, trails and programming. They did a thorough examination of recreation trends, a needs analysis and peer city assessment. They also considered thousands of responses and surveys from residents who weighed in at open houses, in focus groups and online.
Lenexa’s last master plan was developed in 2012. It laid the groundwork for pursuing the construction of the Lenexa Rec Center, Rolling Magic Skate Park, improved youth recreational fields and programs, new festivals like the Lenexa Art Fair and launching the Lenexa Farmers Market.
Parks & Recreation Master Plan Executive Summary(PDF, 710KB)
Parks & Recreation Master Plan(PDF, 31MB)