If members of a site selection team working for a nationally known company came to Lawrence looking for a prime building site for their company – which, by the way, would start off with 150 to 200 employees and above-average payroll – would Lawrence have a 75- to 100-acre site available to show them?

According to various local individuals involved in business and industrial development, Lawrence is severely handicapped by not having attractive building locations. These people claim there is substantial activity among companies and businesses looking for building sites, but, unfortunately, Lawrence does not have an inventory of locations that could accommodate the fictitious firm mentioned above. In fact, they say Lawrence has lost very attractive prospects due to the lack of suitable building sites.

Currently, there is talk about the possibility of a 144-acre site north of Lawrence adjacent to the Lawrence Municipal Airport. Its developers originally had planned a substantially larger development, but for one reason or another, decided to scale down the project.

The land is flat and, as noted above, is close to the airport. U.S. Highways 24-40 and 59 border the location, and the Kansas Turnpike is nearby to the south.

Cost estimates are fairly fuzzy, but it is known that substantial and costly utility work would be required, along with major changes in the Teepee Junction intersection. Developers have worked with area property owners such as the Pine family, which has a long history of top-flight farm management. Options to buy also have been secured from other property owners.

Cost estimates have varied from $3 million to $4 million. There is concern about possible flooding and taking some of the state’s most fertile farmland out of production.

Across town, at the southeast side of Lawrence, is the 400-plus-acre former home of Farmland Industries, a site that many are saying would be ideal for a combination of industrial, recreational and commercial development.

This acreage borders Kansas Highway 10 and has a rail line along the north edge. A good portion of the land already is served by city utilities.

Part of this land must be cleaned up from spills and contamination by the previous owners, Farmland Industries. Federal dollars are available to take care of a large portion of this expense, and those knowledgeable about the site say a sizable percentage of the acreage could be built on at this time.

There is no problem about taking valuable farmland out of production at this site, and, although there is no airport nearby, there is a rail line. The former Farmland property is just west of East Hills Business Park, which has enjoyed much success in its development.

City and Douglas County officials have been playing pingpong over who is primarily in charge of deciding the future use and development of this location, but it needs to be settled so concrete plans can proceed to get this acreage ready for development and decide what kind of development would be permitted there.

Both the airport and Farmland sites would have space for 100-acre developments. The airport location would provide more level ground and therefore reduce site preparation costs, although utility/highway costs would be high. In contrast, city utility services already are in place at the Farmland location, little if any farmland would be taken out of production, and it is highly unlikely development there would face any flooding danger.

Lawrence needs a first-rate industrial development area capable of accommodating various sizes and types of businesses. Access to good transportation facilities is important to some industries, as is the cost of building.

Right now, Lawrence is limited in industrial sites and, until this is improved, the city is likely to fall behind in attracting top-flight major manufacturing companies. The city needs a good balance of so-called bioscience companies offering jobs for highly trained researchers and scientists, as well as industries that would employ a larger number of people and offer attractive salaries.

On the surface, it seems the city and county might be getting more bang from their bucks by getting to work on preparing the Farmland site to attract new industry and business. However, this does not mean the airport site doesn’t not offer attractive options, although infrastructure costs might be substantially higher.

Lawrence cannot afford long delays in deciding priorities for future building sites. Our competition is not sitting on its hands, and the longer the city takes to make some important decisions, the greater the likelihood the city will continue to lose a variety of companies offering well-paying jobs.