U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., wants the federal government to transfer almost one-third of the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant’s acreage to the Johnson County Parks Department.

Roberts on Monday said he’ll soon introduce legislation directing the General Services Administration to set aside 2,800 acres of the Army surplus 9,065 acres for Parks and Recreation.

The land, adjacent to the Kill Creek Regional Park, includes farmland, forests and tallgrass prairie.

“Johnson County will receive a piece of property that has been untouched for 60 years,” said Roberts, a member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee.

“This is big news,” said Bill Maasen, planning and development manager for Johnson County.

“Basically, this is the land that’s served as a buffer between the ammunitions plant and the surrounding development,” Maasen said. “And that’s what we’re proposing that it be used for: a buffer between what’s there now and whatever happens to the ammunitions plant property.”

Maasen said the property includes the watersheds feeding Kill, Spoon and Captain creeks.

None of the 2,800 acres is thought to be contaminated.

Cleanup still needed

Roberts said his legislation does not relieve the U.S. Army of its obligation to clean up the remaining 9,065 acres, much of which is known to be contaminated with explosive materials, asbestos and pesticides.

Built at the onset of World War II and once the world’s largest maker of power propellants, Sunflower Army Ammunitions Plant was taken out of production in 1992.

Roberts’ announcement coincides with Johnson County officials’ efforts to gain control of future development at the site after plans for building a Wonderful World of Oz theme park and resort fell through last year.

“For us to secure 2,800 acres for parks, green space and recreation is a great thing,” said county spokesman Casey Carl. “But the bigger issue remains, and that’s making sure the whole thing  the remaining 6,000-plus acres  gets cleaned up and put back on the tax rolls.”

Developer incentives

Johnson County legislators are backing a pair of bills before the Kansas Legislature designed to give the county access to state-sanctioned tax breaks for would-be developers, and to create a legal entity for accepting land that’s been cleaned up.

“The bill that’s in the Senate now would let Johnson County offer developers the same types of incentives that were offered to the Kansas Speedway and to Oz,” said Sen. Nick Jordan, R-Shawnee.

Developers of Kansas Speedway in Wyandotte County and would-be developers of the Oz theme park at the Sunflower site benefited from special legislation that made financing the projects’ construction easier.

The current Senate bill limits the sales-tax incentives to proposals expected to generate at least $10 million in sales tax revenues annually, Jordan said.

Another bill, introduced by Rep. John Ballou, R-Gardner, calls for setting up a seven-member redevelopment board to accept the land from the General Services Administration and to review development proposals.

“The plan would be for this board to be in a position to take control of the land after it’s cleaned up and then, after there’s a (development) plan, sell it,” Ballou said.

Proceeds from the land sales, he said, would be used to finance other cleanup projects at the site.