Council approves Community Improvement District and industrial revenue bonds for County Square Commons on Cherry Street

The Olathe City Council on April 1 held a public hearing and approved an ordinance creating a Community Improvement District (CID) and levying a CID sales tax for the County Square Commons redevelopment at 114–126 North Cherry Street. The council also approved a related resolution authorizing industrial revenue bonds tied to the project.

City staff opened a public hearing on the CID and noted the proposal would allow a portion of the project to be funded by a special sales tax collected only within the district under Kansas law (KSA cited in the staff presentation). No members of the public spoke during the hearing. Councilmember Veer moved to close the hearing and later moved to approve ordinance number 25-07 creating the CID; the council approved the ordinance by roll-call vote.

Separately, the council considered a request tied to the project for the issuance of industrial revenue bonds (IRBs) and approved resolution number 25-1027. The staff record shown at the meeting included an item listing "Cherry Santa Fe LLC" and a large dollar amount for IRB issuance as presented in the staff material; council discussion focused on the term of the CID (a maximum of 22 years) and a 2% CID sales tax rate. Mayor John Bacon said the project would be a strong addition to downtown and council members expressed enthusiasm for an opening in 2026 if feasible.

Both public hearings had no public speakers. The council's recorded roll-call votes show unanimous approval of the CID ordinance and the IRB resolution. Staff will proceed with the CID formation and bond authorization steps required by state law and city procedures.