New industrial park in Kansas City, Kan., will bring 2,000 jobs to area, developers say

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - A long-empty field in Kansas City, Kan., could soon be bustling again with new businesses and thousands of new workers.

The Unified Government Board of Commissioners of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., just approved a $40 million deal with NorthPoint Development to form the new Central Industrial Park. The city estimates it could create 2,000 new jobs.

The industrial park will be located on 74 acres formerly home to a General Motors plant in the Fairfax area.

The GM plant was demolished and the land has been sitting empty since 1987. The replacement GM plant sits a stone's throw away and developers believe it will be an attractive site for business wanting to contract with the automaker.

"It's going to be more than likely the big name companies because that's who can afford to build new buildings," real estate broker Mark Fountain said. "We think it's really conducive to manufacturing."

Fountain said the location is ideal. There's a lot of rail and road access and it's a square piece of land.

Fairfax area workers say it's just what KCK needs.

"We could use all the shots in the arm we can get because there's so much manufacturing that we (United States) aren't doing anymore," Steven B. Webber said.

Fountain said there are no official deals yet, but he anticipates the land to go quickly with announcements as early as summer. He said the site can accommodate as many as ten manufacturers, depending on their size.