The Future of Sunflower
When the manufacture of ammunitions at the Sunflower Army Ammunitions Plant ceased in 1992, it was not the end of the plant itself, but rather the start of another phase for the former war industrial complex. With aging buildings and massive environmental remediation needs, the Army evaluated the possible uses for the plant. In this interim phase, they awarded Alliant Techsystems, Inc. a contract to market the use of the facilities at Sunflower. From March 1995 to August 1999, well over 20 tenants rented the land, including Kansas State University for an agricultural center, Koch Industries for the production of sulphuric acid, the Lenexa Police Department for storage, and Sunflower Aquaculture for Tilapia fish farming. The revenue made from the various tenants was used to offset the cost of maintaining the property until a final decision was announced. In 1998, the U.S. Army concluded that the Sunflower property was no longer needed and officially designated Sunflower as federal surplus property.
The word “controversial” best describes this next chapter of development for the former ammunitions plant. Johnson County Government was concerned that if the Army was to dispose of the property, it would result in a patchwork type of development typically seen in urban sprawl. In response, legislation was passed to allow for the direct transfer from the Army to the State of Kansas and then to a single developer. This would ensure that the entire site developed as a whole and according to the guidelines of a conceptual plan set forth by Johnson County Government.
One of the very first developers interested in the property was the Oz Entertainment Company, Inc. In 1998, this California-based company proposed The Wonderful World of Oz Theme Park and Resort that would include a theme park, hotels and a shopping district. After years of debate, the Oz Entertainment Company could not demonstrate to the public and the Johnson County Commissioners that their project was viable. With their credibility in doubt, the company withdrew their offer in 2001.
In 2002, another controversy arose when the Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma sought to reclaim the land for a reservation, resulting in a lawsuit in October of 2003. At the time however, Johnson County Government had already put out the call for development plans for the site. Proposals included a wind farm, a research park and a high-end entertainment center with a possible home for a National Hockey League team, as well as several varieties of residential communities and commercial development. Kessinger/Hunter and Company, which had proposed a “community in the park” concept, was selected in early 2004. The pending lawsuit by the Shawnee was resolved in April of 2004, when a federal judge denied the Shawnee Tribe the right to claim the land at Sunflower.
Although the transfer of property to Sunflower Redevelopment, LLC (a partnership that includes the chosen developer) is currently scheduled for this summer, extensive cleanup estimated at approximately 200 million dollars will likely take up to eight years to complete. Although the physical remnants of the ammunition plant will disappear over the next few years, there is no doubt that the economic and environmental aftermath of Sunflower will continue to create history in Johnson County.
--ALBUM vol. 18, no. 2 (spring 2005)