Master plan outlines vision for new fire station

Published on October 15, 2025

Lenexa staff presented a master plan for the future of City-owned property at 87th Street Parkway and Monrovia to the Governing Body during a Committee of the Whole meeting on Oct. 14, 2025. Staff recommended a new-build concept for a 27,000-square-foot Fire Station 6 Headquarters on the east portion of the property, which is estimated to cost $27.7 million.

This municipal site near Interstate 35 was the former home of Lenexa’s City Hall, Police Department and Municipal Court, which have all been relocated to new facilities in recent years. After police and court functions moved to the Lenexa Justice Center in 2024, the City began to study options for redeveloping the campus to address other unmet needs.

Lenexa has long sought to add additional emergency response resources in the northeast part of the community. The city’s population and infill development have grown since Lenexa last added a fire station 15 years ago, with call volumes increasing by 45% in that timeframe. In particular, the northeast corridor has more mature and densely populated residential, commercial and medical use facilities that generate frequent calls for service.

A quick response is critical when responding to fires and medical emergencies. The Fire Department began temporarily stationing fire apparatus and firefighters at the old municipal complex site in 2020 to test response times. In 2023, the City of Lenexa placed a temporary structure on-site to house fire apparatus year-round. 

A permanent fire station would allow the Fire Department to meet or improve upon the National Fire Protection Association’s four-minute median travel time standard for first responders arriving on scene. The former City Hall municipal site provides an ideal location for fire services in the northeast corridor of Lenexa. Key factors include:

• Improved emergency response times and health outcomes in the northeast corridor of Lenexa.
• Capacity to house Fire Department administrative staff more efficiently in one location rather than spread out across multiple locations.
• Permanent home for the City’s Information Technology Department and equipment. 
• Space for a dedicated emergency operations center to help the City coordinate response and recovery efforts.
• Better distribution of resources to provide relief to the two other busiest fire stations in Lenexa.
• Preservation of a cell tower that houses critical local and regional public safety radio communications assets.
• Maintaining a strong public safety presence in this area of the city, which nearby residents desire.

The City hired Finkle + Williams architecture and design firm to develop a master plan for Fire Station 6. The proposed plan would feature three apparatus bays, a residential component for emergency responders, office space for the Fire Department command staff, training and prevention divisions, as well as permanent space for the Information Technology (IT) Department. 

The plan thoroughly evaluated the site and proposed three scenarios for how it could best be used: a new-build concept, a repurposed concept that uses some portion of existing structures, and a phased concept. All three scenarios orient the fire station so that apparatus respond directly onto Monrovia rather than 87th Street Parkway, which provides easy access north or south to a signalized intersection.

Henderson Engineers analyzed the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and structural systems of the existing structures in the complex. They ultimately concluded that all building systems have reached the end of their useful life and would need to be replaced. Newkirk Novak provided preconstruction estimating services for the scenarios. The new-build design concept was determined to be less expensive and more flexible than the repurposed and phased concepts upon full build-out. The costs to gut and retrofit existing structures would exceed those to demolish and build a new structure. 

Fire Station 6 and IT Headquarters Master Plan Report(PDF, 9MB)

Lenexa’s elected officials expressed strong support for the recommended scenario during the Committee of the Whole meeting. The master plan was presented for discussion only and no action was taken. 

The next step is to incorporate a design and construction project for Fire Station 6 and IT Headquarters into the City’s five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). The 2026–2030 CIP is currently being developed and will be considered for adoption during a City Council meeting in early January 2026.