Olathe approves controversial frozen food facility plan despite neighbors’ outcry

After nearly two hours of a discussion filled with scattered shouts and boos, the Olathe City Council approved proposal for a massive cold storage facility on West 175th Street and Lone Elm Road.

The 5-2 majority approval, with councilmembers Matthew Schoonover and Robyn Essex opposing, allows Lineage Logistics — a global cold food storage company — to move forward with rezoning the 146 acre site to industrial. The company can come back to the council next month with its request for tax incentives.

Construction for 35,000 square feet of cooler space and more than 184,000 feet of freezer space is set to begin in 2026 and 2027. Lineage estimates that the warehouse will help create 200 new jobs over the next 10 years, with a starting salary of $58,240 in the first year.

To oppose the project, Nottington Creek residents, a neighborhood a half mile away from the proposed site, showed up in droves to the council meeting Tuesday night. They raised concerns with the increased semitruck activity anticipated on Lone Elm — a single-lane road — and environmental safety concerns for their community because of chemicals proposed to be used at the warehouse.

“We’re not against industrial development, as long as it’s reasonable … 24/7 activity is not reasonable,” Nottington Creek resident Jeff Walters said during the City Council meeting. “We are reasonable people, but when citizens feel unheard and betrayed, they don’t disappear. They organize and protest, and that’s why we’re here.”

“You occupy those seats because citizens believe in your ability to protect their interests, and that’s sacred and fragile … A yes vote tonight means that you’re standing against the people you chose to represent.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, residents held signs that read ‘Vote No’ and filled most of the seats in the council chambers. They often spoke over council members and staff speaking during the meeting, and one resident was escorted out of the meeting early on in the discussion.

“Please refrain from a lot of outbursts, the truth is if this behavior impedes our process we can escort everyone out of the room,” Mayor John Bacon said.

Despite their advocacy and the Planning Commission’s denial in August, Bacon and councilmembers Marge Vogt, Kevin Gilmore, Dean Vakas and LeEtta Felter supported the proposal because they said the development aligns with the city’s future land use map in the area and keeps the project in Olathe — with Mayor Bacon sharing concerns of the land being annexed to Spring Hill instead.

Olathe annexed the parcel of land from Johnson County earlier this year as rural zoning. It could be possible for the developer to annex the land to the neighboring Johnson County community to the south.

“I don’t think it would be right for us to allow this piece of property to be annexed by Spring Hill and developed as a Spring Hill part of their city,” Bacon said. “I think we could do a better job.”

However, other council members disagreed.

When the city annexed the Nottington Creek neighborhood in 2005, it was zoned as a rural residential neighborhood, but over the years the city “let it change,” Schoonover said.

“Yes, I understand it’s driven by the market, but I do think that we owe it to our residents, no matter where they are, to help them and try to protect the value of their homes as well,” he said.

While it’s a possibility for Lineage to approach Spring Hill, “we have a lot of reasons why a business would want to develop in Olathe over Spring Hill.”

“I think we have a lot of great areas, perhaps other than this site that Lineage could look at,” Schoonover said.

While Schoonover’s comments caused a standing ovation of applause, the proposal received the two-thirds majority requirement for approval, allowing the project to come back for incentives in October.

This story was originally published September 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM.