Candidate Dick Holdman and County Commissioner Doug Wood are running against each other in the 5th District County Commissioner's race this November. As you can see below, Holdman supports the Master Plan and residents who depend on it. Commissioner Wood does not.

This is not the first time Commissioner Wood has so strongly supported bad development ideas. He was a staunch supporter of the OZ project, which failed so badly. He supported it all the way up to the point where the project refused to pay its obligations. Only when it became apparent the developers where running out of cash did Wood drop his support.

If you live in the 5th District, which includes Olathe, Edgerton, and Gardner, please vote for Mr. Holdman. If you do not live in the 5th District, but have friends who do, please ask them to vote for Mr. Holdman. You could swing this election.

We are fighting a developer who wants to overturn the Master Plan by replacing a residential zoning with the most intense possible retail commercial zoning. This is the shopping center proposed for the SE corner of 159th and Metcalf.

The Master Plan unequivocally calls for this entire 31 acre tract to be residential, to transition from the large lot homes that abut it to more dense housing near Metcalf.

We have paid close attention to what Mr. Wood says. Last Thursday he wanted the County Staff to draw up a resolution in support of the rezoning. The staff and the zoning board had drawn up a resolution against it.

Mr. Wood sees no problem with throwing out the Master Plan and re-zoning this land in complete contradiction to the Master Plan. Every argument that he and the developer's put forward for doing this has been shown to be wrong, completely specious. But he continues with his support for the developer.

So I wrote Dick Holdman to ask how he felt about throwing out the Master Plan to enrich a few developers. His reply convinces me that Mr. Holdman would make a far better Commissioner than Mr. Wood. Of course, one might say that any candidate facing an election would come out in support of neighbors. Well, Mr. Wood does not. And I believe Mr. Holdman.

Email from Dick Holdman:

"Mr. Phillips,

I appreciate your question and concerns that have been brought forward. I want to let you know that I am adamantly opposed to going against people of the county. I feel that we at the BOCC level must listen to those that must live with our decisions. In this case, not only have you, the citizens in the area, but the Planning Commision have voiced non-support of this proposal. As you have stated, there were many hours spent by concerned and committed people to develop a Master Plan that provides for a growth that meets the needs of the whole county. I support those of you in your neighborhood and will continue to push for adherence to the Master Plan. I would hope that we will meet at some time in the future. I thank you for taking the time to inquire and I hope that I have given you the information you were requesting. Remember that you and the other concerned voters can make a difference. Good luck.

Dick Holdman"

Here is the email I sent to Mr. Holdman:

"Dear Mr. Holdman,

Our neighborhoods, which are outside your district but whose future you could help determine, are facing two major development proposals. In both cases, the proposals are in direct contradiction to the Master Plan for the area and in both cases the Planning Department has strongly supported the Master Plan and recommended denial of the applications.

In one case, your opponent Doug Woods has stated unequivocally that he wants to approve the rezoning over the objections of the Planning Staff and the Oxford Township Zoning Board, who have twice unanimously recommended denial of the developer's rezoning/development.

In this case, the Master Plan calls for 31 acres at the SE corner of 159th and Metcalf to be entirely residential, with a transition from the 1 acre lots abutting the property to higher density residential along Metcalf itself. The developer wants to rezone the land instead to the most intense commercial retail possible, PRB-3. Under pressure, the developer has agreed to build homes on 3 of the acres and has chosen a zoning that allows 9 homes per acre. 25 acres still remain PRB-3. 3 other acres which were previously labeled PRB-3, but had a dry detention pond and a small wetlands, are now labeled residential, but still have only a dry detention pond and a small wetlands. In other words, the developer has made virtually no concession.

Is this the kind of approach to the Master Plan that you also would take, or would you more likely take into account the Master Plan, the concerns of the neighbors?

In the other case, we are about to ask Doug Woods how he stands, but we think we know the answer. A developer wants to rezone land which is in a floodplain at the SE corner of 159th and Nall. Ith has been designated in the Master Plan as a conservation district/parkland. Instead the developer would turn the land into a housing development. Once again, the Planning Department recommended denial of the application. However, in this case the Aubrey Township Zoning Board recommended approval of the project.

Again, what is you philosophy about these type of things?

I hope, since you have chosen to run against Doug Woods, that you have a different philosophy about how to handle these types of issues. That you will be more likely to take into account the Master Plan, which so many residents have looked at when making home buying decisions.

Whatever response you can give, I will distribute to my email lists (I publish NeighborhoodNet at www.nbrhd.net and maintain email lists, which include Olathe residents in your District, also)."