OLATHE, Kan. — The city of Olathe is planning to transform the Santa Fe Street and Interstate 35 corridor between Ridgeview Road and Mur-Len Road in an effort to improve safety and traffic concerns.
As of now, the project is still in its early stages, but it calls for considerable land acquisition, impacting several small businesses.
KSHB 41 reached out to Olathe officials and estimates about 20 businesses could be impacted, but nothing is set in stone because the design isn’t even complete.
The map above was used in a recent public meeting. Cody Kennedy, a city spokesperson, said the area marked with orange is the land the city potentially wants to acquire. Right now, amounts and potential relocation destinations have not been discussed, but Kennedy says they will be in accordance with state and federal policies dedicated to these situations.
Restaurant owners in the area said they would welcome change in the corridor.
"There’s a lot of accidents, we always see (police) lights always going off because of the the car accidents," said Mensur Mario Maloku, owner and chef at Toni's Italian Restaurant.
For the past six years, Maloku and his family have leased their space on Santa Fe Street and built Toni’s from the ground up. Maloku said his homemade bread and pasta are among his best sellers, but he admits getting to his place isn't always easy due to its location.
"We have a lot of people on the weekends and it can be difficult for the parking and the access," Maloku said.
Maloku said the city of Olathe reached out as it looks at improving the busy corridor and he plans to relocate. While no official date has been set, Maloku believes the move will give them the chance to expand their business and move to a bigger building.
“Moving a restaurant is very expensive and we obviously need to be compensated for our troubles," Maloku said.
Across the road, Bikes for the Likes of Us is another businesses impacted by the upcoming Santa Fe and I-35 project. Owner Darby Pool also leases his building and is in the process of finding a similar building in Olathe so he can continue to keep wheels across Kansas City spinning smoothly.
“I live in Olathe and want to stay in Olathe, but I don’t think there's enough buildings to accommodate everyone," Pool said. "There’s basically going to be a road in our building and Olathe does need this stuff, I just happen to be at the wrong place and time with my shop."
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KSHB 41 Traffic anchor/reporter Daniela Leon covers all sorts of transportation topics across Kansas City. Have a story idea to share or a question about something in your neighborhood? Send Daniela a news tip.
