Staff directed to move ahead on business park plans for former Farmland Industries

Commissioners directed staff to move ahead on planning a pair of new roads to serve the former Farmland Industries site along Kansas Highway 10 on the eastern edge of Lawrence.

Commissioners agreed to seek proposals from consultants that could help the city develop a master plan for the approximately 450-acre site that the city plans to convert into a business park. The plans would include details on adding a traffic signal at the 23rd and O’Connell intersection, building a new north-south road to run through the Farmland property and building a new east-west road that would connect the Farmland site with the adjacent East Hills Business Park. Commissioners also said they wanted to consider an eventual extension of 19th Street to provide another entrance to the Farmland property.

Commissioners also directed staff to consider working with consultants that could help develop the property as a “green energy business park.” The concept behind such a park is that alternative energy actually would be produced at the park to be used by businesses located in the park.

City Commissioner Mike Dever urged commissioners to consider the concept, saying it could provide the future park with a marketing advantage.