Northeast Johnson County city leaders are looking to “turn the corner” in 2026.
On Tuesday morning, city leaders reflected on the past year and looked forward to what’s to come in 2026 as they gathered at the Johnson County Community College’s Regnier Center for their annual 2026 State of the Cities luncheon.
The northeastern corner of the county is home to several small cities. Leaders from those cities came to highlight developments, roadwork, and results of last year’s elections, as well as their cities’ priorities for this year.
Westwood Mayor David Waters said his “unofficial theme” for 2025 and 2026 is “turning the corner.”
“After 2025, in which we’ve had a couple of setbacks … we are ready to move on and turn the corner and get to work on some pretty great opportunities that we do have before us,” Waters said.
The city of Fairway was absent from the 2026 State of the Cities luncheon.
Here are some key takeaways from remarks made by city leaders in northeastern Johnson County:
Merriam
Mayor Bob Pape said the city of Merriam used its 2024 resident survey to guide its 2025 priorities, such as the official move to a single trash hauler — which goes into full effect later this year.
The city also celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2025 with a host of activities throughout the year, Pape said.
Pape highlighted the Merriam Grand Station and Merriam Grand Marketplace, on either side of the Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road intersections, as well.
In 2025, developers completed and opened businesses at the Merriam Grand Station development and started work to replace the old Antioch Library with a Trader Joe’s across the street at Merriam Grand Marketplace.
The city also finished burying utilities along Shawnee Mission Parkway in connection with these projects, Pape said.
Mission
In Mission, Mayor Sollie Flora highlighted the city’s housing developments, including several multifamily projects like Mission Vale.
Like in previous years, Flora said Mission continues to invest in streets, with $2.8 million in residential street work and $2.4 million in County Assistance Road Systems (CARS) projects last year.
This year, Mission is focused on developing multimodal transportation plans and a study of the western leg of Rock Creek Trail, Flora said.
Mission Hills
In Mission Hills, Mayor Andy Weed, who won his election in November, said the city has maintained its focus on crime and public safety in 2025.
The city has 78 license plate readers across the city, Weed said, which has resulted in “a dramatic decrease in crime.”
Last year, Mission Hills also closed on the purchase of a church property. The city plans to find out how residents hope to use that space over the next year.
In 2026, Weed said reconstruction of Belinder Road is a big project that will take roughly 10 months to complete. The project was pushed to this year due to utility work.
Mission Woods
Mayor Erica Hartley said the biggest project in Mission Woods, the 1957 Karbank campus, broke ground in 2025. The project is an office building that is anticipated for completion in September 2026.
In 2026, the 200-resident and 80 household city has a long list of goals, Hartley said, including the establishment of a tree board and hosting a citywide holiday gathering.
Overland Park
In Overland Park, Mayor Curt Skoog highlighted the opening of Bietigheim-Bissingen Park, the city’s 84th park, that honors its German sister city.
Overland Park also completed a “road diet” on Santa Fe Drive in 2025, and underwent a city rebrand featuring a brand new flag.
Much of 2025 was also spent preparing for and kicking off the 2026 World Cup, Skoog said.
For 2026, Skoog said Overland Park is looking forward to opening Clock Tower Landing and welcoming visitors for the 2026 World Cup.
Prairie Village
Mayor Eric Mikkelson said Prairie Village faced challenges in the past few years, but he predicts 2026 may be one of the city’s best yet.
Mikkelson said that aside from the challenges the city has faced with resident pushback in recent years, the city was able to invest in public safety, improve roadways, start a composting program and move forward with a city hall and police department project.
Resident support for the municipal complex project was upheld with the 2025 election results, he noted.
The city also saw major movement at the redevelopments of The Shops of Prairie Village and Corinth Quarter in 2025, with both projects expected to wrap up in 2026.
Also this year, Prairie Village plans to celebrate its 75th anniversary as a city with a number of events — including a 5K on 75th Street in March and a birthday party featuring a drone show on Oct. 10.
Roeland Park
In Roeland Park, Mayor Michael Poppa highlighted the city’s movement on two major projects: The groundbreaking of The Rocks redevelopment and a renegotiation of the terms of the Roeland Park Shopping Center, home to Walmart.
This year, Poppa said Roeland Park is focused on its strategic plan, park master plan, a carbon inventory and a public art master plan.
A long-awaited sculpture and play structure, The Mighty Bike, is anticipated to open this year as well, Poppa said.
Like Prairie Village, Roeland Park is entering the diamond club in 2026 with its 75th anniversary. The city plans to celebrate with a birthday party on Oct. 3.
Westwood
Mayor Waters said 2025 in Westwood was largely centered around the future of Joe D. Dennis Park.
Residents rejected the sale of that park to a developer who planned to bring an office-retail project and new park to the city. Waters expects voters’ decision on April 1, 2025 “will have repercussions for the city of Westwood, probably for years to come.”
Still, the Westwood City Council pivoted to find a way to control the adjacent and former Westwood View Elementary property, Waters said. This effort resulted in a partnership with Kansas City-based developer Hunt Midwest, which is proposing a luxury housing development on the former school site.
Waters said he believes “many of us were concerned that Westwood would turn more inward” following the results of the April election.
“But again, Westwood turned the corner,” Waters said, highlighting the results of the November 2025 election that reinforced “progressive governments” in Westwood and neighboring cities.
In 2026, Waters said the city hopes to work on upgrades to the city hall and police station at 47th Street and Rainbow Boulevard.
Westwood Hills
In Westwood Hills, Mayor Rosemary Podrebarac said one of the biggest projects of 2025 was replacing all of the city’s street signage.
Like in previous years, Podrebarac said Westwood Hills residents heavily invested in the city by making home improvements — roughly $400,000 worth of home improvements in 2025, she said.
Podrebarac also thanked fellow northeastern Johnson County cities and their leaders for partnering with Westwood Hills on several key services, like the Westwood Police Department for public safety and Roeland Park for leaf pickup services.
