Kansas University appears to be on track to help develop a biosciences research park on land surrounding the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant.

John Petersen, attorney for Sunflower Redevelopment LLC, which was formally appointed last week to serve as developer on the project, said he expected the university to help plan the park, which could serve as a site for companies that spin off research conducted on campus.

“It makes all the sense in the world that KU would be involved in that,” Petersen said. “Obviously they’ve got quite a bit of experience and breadth of knowledge in life sciences.”

The Johnson County Commission last week formally recognized Sunflower Redevelopment LLC — comprising partners Kessinger/Hunter and Co. and International Risk Group — as developers of the 9,065-acre site near De Soto.

KU officials have for years discussed the possibility of helping spearhead a life sciences research park as part of the land’s future use. Gov. Kathleen Sebelius furthered that idea last spring in a letter to the Johnson County Commission, saying the park could be “an engine of growth for the region for decades to come.”

Petersen said he expected the developers to close on the property this summer. Though environmental cleanup at the site could take as long as eight years, parts could be done more quickly. He said it was too early to know how soon the research park might start taking shape.

“We’re pushing the research park to the forefront,” he said. “We’re trying to put that together now.”

The park likely would be several hundred acres near the Lexington exit on Kansas Highway 10.

KU has owned about 200 acres of land in the northwest section of the property since the 1960s, with much of it leased for farming. Petersen said the university was slated to receive another 200 acres this summer.

Other entities with land at the Sunflower site are:

• Kansas State University, which leases 300 acres for agricultural test fields. KSU will be deeded the land when Sunflower Redevelopment LLC closes on the property this summer.
• The De Soto school district will be deeded 30 acres.

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• Johnson County Parks and Recreation will be deeded 2,000 acres.
• The city of De Soto will be deeded the property that currently holds its water treatment plant.

The land used for the research park would be separate from the land KU owns. It would be operated through a public-private partnership between the university and the developer.

David Shulenburger, provost and executive vice chancellor, said the location made sense for KU because of its location between the Lawrence and Medical Center campuses.

“It’s halfway between here and Kansas City,” he said. “It’s an attractive place for research-related activities.”

But Shulenburger said KU will wait for Sunflower Redevelopment LLC to lead the way on the project.

“We don’t have a specific proposal from the developer,” he said. “This has been going on four or five years. I hope it matures quicker than that.”