Lenexa advances Fire Station 6 design; construction expected to start Nov. 2026

Lenexa officials on April 14 detailed design plans and a timeline for Fire Station 6, a combined emergency response facility and the Fire Department’s new headquarters that will also house the Information Technology Services Department.

Deputy City Manager Todd Pelham said the Project will include residential quarters and parking for eight firefighters, offices for command and prevention staff, apparatus bays, training areas and collaborative workspaces for emergency management operations. Pelham said the project team is coordinating with construction manager-at-risk Newkirk Novak as design moves into the development phase.

Ellen Foster of Finkel+Williams Architecture described the Project’s guiding principles—occupant wellbeing, resiliency, durability and civic identity—and said the old City Hall site was selected to optimize emergency access to Monrovia Street while preserving mature trees and existing stormwater infrastructure. Foster said the design uses Kansas limestone-inspired panels, dark brick accents, clerestory windows and a prominent entry tower featuring the Maltese cross, calling the vision an “approachable civic beacon of readiness.”

Foster said the building will not include a basement and will incorporate ICC 500-rated storm shelter areas for station personnel as well as additional hardened spaces. She presented exterior renderings showing a smaller-scale residential wing adjacent to the neighborhood and explained that monument and directional signage concepts remain under development.

On schedule, Foster said a preliminary plan application would be filed later in April, City Council consideration is anticipated in June, final construction documents are expected by the end of summer, a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) is anticipated in October 2026, and construction is expected to begin in November 2026 with an estimated 14-month schedule and completion in the first quarter of 2028.

Councilmembers asked for additional renderings, raised questions about traffic control for apparatus exits, and praised the design’s civic presence and preservation of landscaping. Fire Chief Travis Vaughn said signalized warning systems at the apparatus exit on Monrovia Street are not anticipated given existing traffic conditions. Deputy City Manager Pelham closed the item by reviewing upcoming milestones and saying demolition and construction activities would follow GMP approval so the community would see continuous site progress.