The site of a former fertilizer plant at the southeastern edge of Lawrence is poised to become part of the city without a single shovel of dirt being displaced.

Instead, Lawrence officials are preparing to annex the property — more than 400 acres along the northern side of Kansas Highway 10 — into the city, with visions of the idle expanse being transformed into a business park.

Douglas County commissioners are doing their part to help the process along, agreeing Monday to conduct a public hearing on the issue July 15.

“We all see the value of a redeveloped Farmland Industries site,” said Nancy Thellman, commission chairwoman. “It’s the perfect spot for redevelopment — it needs it — and it’s a place the community will have consensus on.”

The county’s permission is a legal requirement for the city to move forward with annexation proceedings, because the city — not the property’s owner — is pushing to bring the property into the city.

Annexation is logical because any redevelopment of the property likely would require access to water, sewer and other municipal services, said David Corliss, city manager.

“The city and the county have both adopted land use plans for the property, which indicate it should be developed for industrial, office, business park type uses,” Corliss said. “The property is not well-suited for either residential development or strip commercial development.”

City representatives are in discussions with Overland Park-based Capitana Redevelopment Group, which owns a legal interest in a fund established by Farmland Industries to clean up environmental problems at the site and others. Farmland has been liquidated through U.S. Bankruptcy Court, and the fund has about $10 million.

While Capitana representatives have indicated that they want to redevelop the property, city officials are continuing to pursue plans to purchase the land and lead its redevelopment.

Again, Corliss said, annexation will be required no matter who turns the site back into something useful.

“We are in discussions with the trust owners and with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment about what the next steps are,” Corliss said. “We are reviewing a number of different options — whether it is an outright acquisition or a partnership with the trust owners — about development of the property.

“We are exploring a number of different options. There’s considerable infrastructure costs associated with redeveloping the property. We are looking at those costs — and opportunities to clean up the property, and costs associated with that as well.”