Changes lead county to approve rezoning

By: Katrina Segers, staff writer

Eric Kirkendall fought against development of five warehouses with 2.2 million square feet of space on about 152 acres southwest of Gardner, but now his land will become part of the development.

“I got into this based on self-interest to protect myself and my wife and as I dug into it I realized there were other issues and I dealt with them,” Kirkendall said. “I certainly didn’t know where things would end up.”

Kirkendall fought the development between 167th Street and Old 56 Highway not only because of pollution from traffic, but also because his four-acre farm would be surrounded by the park, which the Board of County Commissioners approved in a 6-1 vote May 1.

The request from LS Commercial Real Estate, applicant for Moore Management, L.C., and Moore Farm, L.L.C., landowners, to rezone about 135 acres from Rural District to Planned Research Development and Light Industrial Park District, will now include Kirkendall’s land since he reached an agreement with the developer.

Kirkendall said purchase agreements have been executed and he now supports rezoning and plan approval.

With Kirkendall behind development, Commissioner John Toplikar remained the single no vote.

“We can’t keep adding warehouses and developments and keep expecting our roads to be safe,” Toplikar said.

Other commissioners praised the work of those involved.

“I would urge my fellow commissioners to support this motion,” Chairman Annabeth Surbaugh said. “I think that both parties have come to an agreement that is beneficial for both.”

Surbaugh said the development, which will result in around $80 million in capital outlay, will benefit the community.

Commissioner Ed Peterson said he supported the proposal because it is consistent with the land development plan of the county. He said he still had concerns about air quality, but the amendments to the proposal to help reduce pollution “are good for this area of the Midwest.”

Kirkendall said the final plan reflected the county’s attempt to minimize the warehouses’ impact on residents.

“I think in the end the developer was praised quite a bit today for voluntarily agreeing to a series of stipulations that county staff and commissioners feel will help everybody in the community by minimizing not only particulate matter and pollution, but the ozone generation,” Kirkendall said.

He said he and his wife, Mary, might begin looking for a place to retire.

“We are starting to look for a new place to live and we had originally planned on retiring to Lawrence in seven or eight years,” Kirkendall said. “One of the possibilities is that we will move to Lawrence sooner.”

Contact Katrina Segers at 385-6011 or katrinasegers@sunpublications.com.