BonnerSprings.com

Regardless of whether New West Productions stays on as the events promoter for Sandstone Amphitheater, the name on the site's special-use permit will stay the same.

At its Tuesday night meeting, the Bonner Springs Planning Commission OK'd a permit for Sandstone with its owner, the Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kan., as the permittee.

The Unified Government's two-year contract with New West was announced in January, after the site's former promoter, Live Nation, declined to renew its contract ending last year.

Estimated fee revenues for Bonner Springs from the amphitheater's projected attendance of 105,000 people at 15 shows, as reported by the UG Economic Development and Finance Commission, were $52,500 in fees and $37,800 in sales tax.

Naming the Unified Government as the permit holder means the special-use permit won't have to be renewed every "year or two," Planning Director DonSlone said.

Rob Richardson, city planner for the Unified Government, thanked Slone for being proactive. Bonner Springs resident Heidi Brenner spoke in support of the venue.

"It's part of Bonner Springs," Brenner said, and credited Sandstone with being one of the reasons developers chose Wyandotte County to build the Legends at Village West.

Robert Eugster, a resident of Gardner who owns property at 15490 Lake Rd., west of the amphitheater on 130th Street, used the occasion to vent about access to his land during events.

"I am so angry about it," Eugster said, that if his access is restricted one more time because of an event, "the city is going to have to buy (the property) from me."

Eugster's access to his property from Kansas Highway 7 had been condemned and he was compensated for it by the Unified Government, Slone said.

Additionally, Richardson said, on the days when event traffic turns 130th Street into a one-way northbound road, Eugster could drive around to the south entrance of 130th where it meets K-7.

"It's not that you can't get through," Richardson said. "It's just slower."

In other actions, the Commission:

¢ Approved a change to the city's future land-use map for Stone Village Apartments, 515 E. Morse Ave., from a low-density residential to a high-density residential designation.

¢ Approved a request for Stone Village, rezone its 2.68 acres from an R-1, single-family residential district to R-3, multi-family residential district.

Both requests were in order to convert the assisted living facility into an apartment complex within the existing building.

¢ Approved a preliminary plat for Johnson Ridge, a 6.93-acre, 21-lot residential subdivision planned near 137th Street and Barber Avenue.

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