The Johnson County Parks and Recreation District (JCPRD) makes the erroneous statement that the land for the proposed soccer fields, the stadium, and the commercial center is zoned "mixed-use", so worse things could go on the acreage.

All of the land for the soccer fields, about 140 acres, is zoned "Rural". The land for the soccer fields is Master Planned as "Residential", except for the stream running through the property, which is Master Planned as "Parks, Rec, and Open Space". None of the proposed soccer field land is zoned or Master Planned as mixed use.

To the north of the soccer fields are almost 160 acres, all of which is zoned rural, with more than 100 acres Master Planned as residential, about 6 acres Master Planned for the interchange, and 45 acres next to 159th street which is Master Planned as mixed use. The 45 acres is intended for the commercial center. The exact placement of the stadium is unknown, but presumably is somewhere on the 100 acres of residential, not on the 45 acres of mixed use.

Those are the facts. There are direct links to the Overland Park website verifying these facts below.

Exactly what did JCPRD say?

JCPRD's Quote

James Azeltine, JCPRD Secretary, says today in a Letter To Editor published in the Kansas City Star - Blue Valley/Leawood NeighborhoodNews:

"Some of the most vocal opponents like to paint any potential synergy between a youth soccer complex, the Wizards and any resulting development as somehow sinister and a form of corporate welfare. The land in question is already zoned for mixed-use and could potentially result in a dense development that would include high-rise offices buildings and condominiums."

Mr. Hazeltine is wrong. All of the land is zoned as rural. The vast majority of this land - 234 acres out of 294 acres - is Master Planned as residential, with a few acres taken up for the stream and the interchange. Only 45 acres of the 294 acres is Master Planned for mixed use. None of the land for the soccer fields is zoned or Master Planned as mixed use.

A tremendous amount of work went into establishing this Master Plan. Mr. Hazeltine's misinformation adds to the growing list of bad data provided to the public by JCPRD: the number of soccer county youth, the revenue to be generated, and the size of the alternate Olathe site.

All Soccer Land Is Zoned Rural and Master Planned Residential & Park

All of the youth soccer field land is zoned Rural (RURJ), which is typical for undeveloped land. None of that land is zoned mixed use. It also is not master planned mixed-use. NeighborhoodNet provides links below to Overland Park's website to verify zoning/master planning designations and detailed acreage figures stated below.

Soccer Field Location Maps
Site Plan (Red Outline Added By NeighborhoodNet)	Zoning - RURJ (Rural) (Site Plan Outline Added)	Master Plan - Residential/Park (Site Plan Outline Added)
Click on image to link to official documents of Overland Park and JCPRD

The land on which the soccer fields is to be placed is Master Planned as a combination of Low Density Residential, Medium Density Residential, and Park. None of the land for the proposed soccer fields is even Master Planned as Mixed Use. There are 45 acres to the north of the proposed soccer fields where the proposed commercial would be located which is Master Planned as Mixed Use. The exact location of the stadium is unknown, but presumably not on the 45 acres of mixed use set aside for the commercial.

Whether Mr. Azeltine is ignorant of the facts after Parks and Rec has worked on this proposal for so long - "culmination of many years of public discourse", as he also says in his letter - or is willfully misleading the public is unknown. What is known is that Parks and Rec also has published erroneous data on the number of soccer youth in Johnson County, the amount of revenue to be generated, and the size of the alternative Olathe site.

A Retraction Should Be Issued

The Kansas City Star should not let such erroneous information be published, particularly by a public official whom a reader would assume to be authoritative. We note from our experience that before the Kansas City Star will publish a letter in opposition to the soccer fields, it calls back time and again to force the writer to verify every fact. That is appropriate. Is the Kansas City Star going to run a retraction of the erroneous information? Will James Azeltine do so? Will the Johnson County Parks and Recreation District do so?

See For Yourself The Soccer Land Is Not Zoned Mixed Use And Is Planned Residential

Overland Park Planning has a nice, interactive, on-line map that clearly shows zoning, master planning, and parcel data (and even traffic counts, for that matter). Click on the link below in each case to see the official Overland Park confirmation.

The facts about the entire 294 acre tract being proposed for the soccer fields, the stadium, and the commericial (only the southern residential part is for the soccer fields) are as follows:

Zoning: 294 acres - RURAL (two lots of 142 acres and 152 acres)

Master Planning [Updated 11/4/2006]:

Most of the following acreages have changed on the Overland Park website since this article was published on 10/21/2006. The bracketed figure in [red] is the original figure which appeared on the website. The figures linked to the website are the new figures. The new figures appear to be more accurate and show each separated area with its own acreage. There is a link for each new figure.

• LOW-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL 124.5 acres (99.2 + 70.28 acres) - (the link will show a total of 169.48 acres. The northern part next to 159th Street, 45 acres, is designated as Mixed Use, see below)
  [157 acres in original article]

• MEDIUM-DENSITY RESIDENTIAL 64.63 acres (44.6 + 11.3 + 8.73 acres)
  [77 acres in original articles]

• PROPOSED COMMERCIAL MIXED-USE 45 acres - (the link gives the land use, but not the acreage. The map shows it as a star on the north of the property. NeighborhoodNet has confirmed with Overland Park Planning that this is 45 acres).

• PARKS, REC, AND OPEN SPACE 45 acres
  [9 acres in original article]

• HIGHWAY RIGHT-OF-WAY 15.4 acres - (the link will show 249 acres, which includes this piece and a large section of 69 highway.)
  [6 acres in original article]

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