Douglas County needs at least three new industrial parks of 300 acres or more to ensure future economic development, according to a new report city and county commissioners are scheduled to debate this week.

Lawrence city commissioners are scheduled to discuss a resolution that would direct city and county staff members to begin looking for at least 1,000 acres of land that would be suitable for industrial development. The resolution is on tonight’s agenda.

Douglas County commissioners are scheduled to review the resolution at their meeting Wednesday.

Lavern Squier, president and chief executive of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, said the resolution was necessary to address a pending shortage of land suitable for industrial development. He served on the 12-member committee of city, county and chamber officials who prepared the report.

“It may be some time before the need for this amount of land fully arises, but we need to have a plan in place so development could take place when the time comes,” Squier said.

Douglas County Commissioner Bob Johnson, who also served on the committee, said 1,000 acres of land likely would satisfy the county’s demand for industrial space for the next 20 to 25 years.

Johnson said it was important for government officials to start identifying suitable locations.

“If you wait too long, a neighborhood develops and nobody wants an industrial complex in their back yard,” Johnson said.

Johnson said once the areas were identified, city and county commissioners would seek to have them added to Horizon 2020, the city and county document that guides future development.

Deciphera Pharmaceuticals - a promising startup company that could launch Lawrence onto the bioscience industry's big stage - has nixed plans to expand at the East Hills Business Park, shown here in this file photo, following community outcry over how the city approved a package of economic development incentives for the startup company.

“We want this to send the message to the community at large that we’re serious about planning for future industrial development,” Johnson said. “With this process, we’re hoping people in the future won’t be surprised about an area becoming an industrial area.”

The report contains 12 criteria that government staffers should consider when searching for the land. Among other things, the sites must:

• accommodate businesses that would need from five to 30 acres. At least one site must accommodate a company that would need from 80 to 100 acres.
• be no more than one mile from an interstate or highway that is a direct route to Topeka or the Kansas City area.

The Lawrence City Commission is scheduled to discuss a report on the need to identify at least 1,000 acres that are suitable for industrial development at 6:35 p.m. today at City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets.The Douglas County Commission will discuss the same report at its meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Douglas County Courthouse, 11th and Massachusetts streets.

• fulfill technical requirements for water, sewer and utility services.

Johnson said he hoped to have the sites identified and added to Horizon 2020 within six months to a year. But Lawrence Mayor David Dunfield, also a committee member, said that only would be the beginning of the process.

“The bigger question is who and how are we going to finance this expansion of industrial land if we do find the sites?” Dunfield said.

Both Squier and Johnson said they expected the report to spur a discussion of whether area governments should start buying land for industrial development.

Johnson said the creation of industrial parks might need to follow a similar model used by the East Hills Business Park, which was jointly developed by the city and county in 1986.

“I would have no reservation about doing that again, but I think we ought to give the private sector every opportunity to do it first,” Johnson said.

The committee did not establish any specific timeline for when the development of a new industrial park should begin. But committee members said there did appear to be a pressing need for an 80- to 100-acre site to be developed quickly because the community only has one site within that range.

“I know the economic development folks have some sense of urgency to get this addressed,” Dunfield said.