Leavenworth County Commission Chairman Don Navinsky (left) is accompanied by Lynn McClure of Leavenworth Area Development (right) and Brent Miles of Riverside.
The West
Across the river from Platte County sits historic Leavenworth County, Kansas. Unlike most other counties in the metro, the part farthest from downtown KansasCity is the most developed.
"The north has a rich history," says Lynn McClure representing Leavenworth Area Development. "The south is still young." The strength of the north is due, of course, to the continuous 150-year presence of the still vital Fort Leavenworth. McClure observes that the small communities in the south are seeing a lot of growth, particularly residential, and are handling it well. As expected, retail is in hot pursuit.
The county is also working hard to provide sites for industrial and manufacturing uses throughout the county. "The people are beginning to understand what economic development is," said McClure. "There is a lot of entrepreneurial spirit. We are trying to tap into that. The future looks bright."
Commissioner Don Navinsky of Leavenworth County cited the presence of so many young retired military officers as the spark behind the county's entrepreneurial boom. He also noted that the City of Leaven-worth and the County "are headed together down the same track," and this has helped enormously.
In Douglas County, Chairman Charles Jones believes that the most important development has been organizational. "The Chamber has done a great job in pulling together," he noted. The cohesion has helped smooth progress in this independent-minded university town. That progress included capturing the headquarters of security service provider Protection One, which had been located in Topeka. The presence of Kansas University also gives the town a leg up in attracting tech-related enterprises. One project that will open the city up to north-south traffic is the $160 million improvement to U.S. Highway 59 from Ottawa.
Mayor Steve Hawkins discusses several major projects including South Liberty Parkway and the redevelopment of the Liberty Triangle. Eric Danielson of Lenexa and Sandy Allison of Miami County EDC look on.
Protection One excepted, the last few years have been all gain in Topeka. As Doug Kinsinger obser-ved, the community was strong enough to support its momentum by not only reauthorizing the local option sales tax for economic development but also by doubling it to 1/2 %.
In addition to needed infrastructure bridge and highway improvements, Topeka has been using that money to make sure that good commercial sites are available for development with the needed infrastructure to support them.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority's decision to widen the Turnpike to three lanes between Topeka and Lawrence bodes well for both communities and strengthens their tie to Kansas City. To that end, Topeka has been feeding off the momentum of the new NASCAR Track in Wyandotte County by attracting the headquarters of the Sports Car Club of America and authorizing a major expansion and renovation at Topeka's Heartland Park.
Also feeding off the growth in the area of the Kansas Speedway is the city of Edwardsville in southern Wyandotte County. "We have had a good four year run," observed Doug Spangler. The cities to the south of Edwardsville like Shawnee and Lenexa are "running out of open ground," and as a result the city is beginning to attract large industrial users.