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Johnson County parks board and county commission back proposal to swap Sunflower Nature Park for 212 acres of former ammunition-plant land
Summary
Johnson County Parks and Recreation and the Board of Commissioners approved a plan to pursue a land-exchange and conversion that would trade the 60-acre Sunflower Nature Park for roughly 212 acres of remediated land adjacent to a planned 3,000-acre regional park; state and federal approvals and environmental certification are prerequisites.
Johnson County commissioners voted unanimously March 26 to support a preliminary submission to state and federal partners for a proposed exchange and conversion of Sunflower Nature Park.
Under the plan presented by Johnson County Parks and Recreation District (JCPRD), the district would exchange its roughly 60-acre Sunflower Nature Park for about 212 acres of remediated land that adjoins a planned 3,000-acre regional park in the Kill Creek area. The exchange would be conditioned on rigorous prerequisites from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the National Park Service, including appraisals, surveys, a phase‑one environmental assessment, and certification that any land transferred from the former Sunflower Army ammunition plant meets residential cleanup standards.
"JCPRD has committed to not accepting any properties from the former Sunflower Army ammunition plant until it is certified clean to residential standards," JCPRD staff said during the presentation. Park staff also emphasized they would submit a detailed conversion proposal, including proposed recreational amenities and a plan for early public access on the replacement acreage.
Public engagement conducted as part of the JCPRD master-planning process included two open houses and an online survey; staff reported the majority of respondents supported exploring the exchange and outlined preferences such as preserving natural areas, creating trails and interpretive historical features, and low-impact recreational uses like disc golf. JCPRD said the city of Dotto has committed $1.8 million in grant funding to help replace several ball fields currently at Sunflower Nature Park.
The exchange is part of a broader master-planning and remediation timeline. Staff said a preliminary submission to state and federal partners would require 30–60 days for initial feedback, and a formal review could take six to 12 months or longer, depending on requests for additional information. If the partners approve an exchange, JCPRD must make replacement land accessible to the public within 12 months of approval and proceed with phased development funded through the district's capital-improvement program and other sources.
What happens next: With the commission's approval, JCPRD will submit a preliminary exchange proposal to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the National Park Service for review and will continue environmental due diligence and public outreach. Any final transfer will require the state/federal approvals and further local approvals and funding steps.
