Legacy Park

Lee's Summit, Missouri

Project Description:

Legacy Park is a 700-acre regional park with 39 natural turf athletic fields, a 25-acre lake, 4.7 miles of multi-use trail, a community center, three playgrounds, and an outdoor amphitheater. Environmental stewardship and promoting healthy lifestyles are at the core of Legacy Park's design and construction. 60 percent of the acreage is reserved as native habitat, while 70 percent of the planting design uses native plant material. Water in Legacy Lake is regenerated from stormwater runoff captured in bioswales (and parking lots that have no curbs or gutters), which in turn provides 1) detention for downstream areas; 2) erosion control; 3) irrigation for all athletic fields; and 4) fire suppression for the entire park. This sustainable irrigation system saves Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation over $160,000 annually in water utility costs. Furthermore, the lake and park serve as a waystation for over 100 species of migrating birds.

Project Goals:

• Minimize the overall carbon footprint and reap long-term economic benefits through the design of bioswales, stormwater retention, native habitat conservation, and native plantings – saving more than $160,000 in water costs and over 20 million gallons of potable water annually.
•  Provide ample recreation space and become a high-energy activity hub for promoting healthy lifestyles within the Lee's Summit community.

Community Benefits and Lessons Learned:

• Developing Legacy into a park rather than residential units saves Lee's Summit taxpayers over $6.5 million each year in public service costs, including city, county and school district expenses.
• Using native plants results in a substantial cost savings from the reduced need for mowing, and leasing open park space to farmers for hay production has generated revenue for Lee's Summit as well as additional savings from reduced mowing costs.

Funding Sources and Partnerships:

Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation partnered with private developers, the R-7 school district, city agencies and Jackson County to add almost $5 million in value to the Legacy project. 

Contact Information:

Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation
(816) 969-1500
www.lsparks.net