We’re about to get a new neighbor.

That fact may catch some Lawrence and Douglas County residents by surprise, but now that plans have been approved to redevelop the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant, it seems inevitable that a new community will pop up along Kansas Highway 10 in the not too distant future.

It is a fact that should get the attention of Douglas County leaders and planners. According to plans developed by Johnson County officials, a team led by the prominent Kansas City development group of Kessinger/Hunter and Co. will build a new community that has a land mass roughly the size of Leawood. The “community in a park” concept will include thousands of new homes, acres of commercial space and significant amounts of land for high-tech and bioscience development. The entire community will be surrounded by about 2,000 acres of parkland and trails.

Considering that, on a clear day, the rows of water towers that once served the ammunition plant can be seen by motorists just east of Lawrence, whatever happens on the 9,065-acre site in western Johnson County surely will have an impact on the economy of Lawrence and Douglas County.

It is encouraging that Kansas University leaders have worked to secure 300 acres of ground at the site to be used for future university-related bioscience projects. But that also should create questions for Lawrence leaders. For example, Lawrence economic development leaders don’t want all of KU’s most promising bioscience projects to be located in western Johnson County. Talks should begin with KU leaders about what their plans are for the property and how the land can be a complement rather than an alternative to Lawrence development.

Planners responsible for guiding Lawrence’s residential and commercial development also should be asking questions about the new community. If thousands of new homes are built in the coming decades (it’s estimated it will take seven years to fully clean the contaminated land), it could have a significant impact on the city’s real estate market. It would be best to begin planning for those impacts today.

What Lawrence and Douglas County officials need to do is develop formal relationships with Johnson County planners and Kessinger/Hunter executives. Since the project is just beyond our county line, Douglas County politicians likely will never have a full seat at the table, but they need to at least be in the room so we aren’t caught off guard by what happens next door.

Just like the Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant did before, this new development could have a very positive economic impact on Lawrence. It is indeed an exciting and unique opportunity for the entire state of Kansas. But Lawrence should not wait for the development’s opportunities to come knocking on our door.

Like any good neighbor, we should not hesitate to introduce ourselves.