Olathe planning commission denies Garmin expansion

Garmin’s plans to expand its global headquarters in Olathe have hit a snag.

The technology giant hopes to build a new 712,842-square-foot warehouse and manufacturing center near 151^st Street and Ridgeview Road. The new development, on the northwest part of the Garmin campus, could eventually create 2,700 more jobs at the company, which currently employs more than 3,400 workers.

But so far the city isn’t on board.

At its meeting Monday night, the Olathe Planning Commission voted 4-3 against recommending that the plan be approved. When the Olathe City Council considers the project Dec. 1, approval will require a super-majority because the planning commission recommended denial.

Commissioners said they were concerned with the project’s large size and that the massive building will sit so close to a residential neighborhood.

“I have reservations with size,” said Commissioner Ann Homer, who voted against the plan. “I can’t believe we can’t somehow bring it to a scale to make it a win-win. Right now, I think it’s too much.”

Commissioners said they didn’t want the fact that the company was Garmin to cloud their judgment.

“If this was not Garmin, would we want to approve this?” asked Commissioner Jeremy Fry, who ended up voting in favor of the plan. “Honestly, I don’t know.”

The commissioners also sympathized with the neighbors opposed to the project.

Dozens of unhappy residents, who live near the Garmin headquarters, showed up at the meeting to protest the plan. They expressed worries that the company’s expansion would heavily increase traffic in their neighborhood, create loud noise and cause property values to collapse.

One of those residents was Travis Snyder, who lives adjacent to the property. If built, the new Garmin building would be 107.5 feet from his property line, which he thinks will cause his home’s value to plummet. He would rather see the expansion broken up into smaller buildings and much more green space serving as a buffer to single-family homes.

“I’m not against the expansion of Garmin, I’m hopeful for its continued growth and success,” Snyder said. “I’m just frustrated the company wants to build one single monstrosity for its warehouse. I’d like to see Garmin scale down this complex and allow for a more neighborhood friendly design. I’d like to see more green space towards the residences.”

In response, Patrick Desbois, vice president of operations at Garmin, told the commission that creating smaller buildings, instead of just one building, simply wouldn’t work.

Garmin is vertically integrated, meaning it likes to have all its operations together on one site, he said. The layout makes it easier for employees, such as engineers, to visit different departments.

Separating the buildings would force the company to take some operations off-site, which is what the company is trying to avoid.

Resident Ron Litton echoed several residents’ thoughts: His biggest concern was traffic. He’s alarmed that Garmin’s expansion may potentially double the number of employees already working at the facility.

“I can’t turn onto Ridgeview in the morning and I can’t go out to dinner at night,” Litton told the commission. “Problem is guys, I’ve got two granddaughters who will be staying at my house and I already don’t want to walk up and down Ridgeview with them. I don’t understand how anyone can see this as a good thing.”

The city’s traffic engineers have reviewed a traffic study conducted by Garmin and approved of it, said Celia Duran, deputy director of the public works department. But the city is looking at ways to improve traffic in the area independent of the Garmin expansion, she said.

Noise was another issue.

Theresa Troll, who lives near the property, runs a recording studio out of her home. She told the commission she’s worried truck noise from the increased traffic will disrupt her business.

A couple of residents also told the commission they were alarmed by a series of liquid nitrogen tanks proposed to be placed along the back of the building, facing single homes.

Snyder told the council that this past June, at the Boeing facility in South Carolina, there was an explosion and a 15-foot crater created by liquid nitrogen.

“I don’t think it belongs in Olathe or near our neighborhood,” Snyder said. “I don’t think my daughter should be exposed to a potential volcano behind my house.”

Desbois, however, says the nitrogen is an inert material used in the manufacturing process and it poses minimal risk. In fact, he said, Garmin already has tanks on campus today.

Despite the protest, there were a couple neighbors who stood up to support the project.

John Ledford, an engineer for Garmin, moved to the surrounding neighborhood so he could live close to work. As the single father of two young children, he wanted to have the option to run home quickly in case of an emergency. He loves the school district, enjoys his neighbors, and thinks the neighborhood is peaceful.

“I’m really frustrated because I don’t think property values in the surrounding area will decrease at all,” he said. “If anything, this expansion will bring more people, with good salaries, who want to move to our neighborhood. I think property values will actually go up.”

He said the three schools nearby that increase traffic, not Garmin itself.

In defense of the project, Garmin officials told the commission that the expansion was designed to be a tasteful addition to the surroundings, not an eyesore.

Site amenities for the expansion will include softball, sand volleyball and soccer fields, as well as walking and jogging trails.

There are currently around 2,700 employees at the headquarters, which the company says is now at capacity.

If the project is approved, it could take two years to construct the new building, Desbois told the commission. Then, the company would start converting the existing warehouse into office space.

A phase of Garmin’s expansion has already begun with the construction of a new four-level parking garage. It will add around 1,000 parking spaces to the original 2,540-space garage. Eventually, the master plan would provide for about 4,590 parking spaces.

The Olathe Chamber of Commerce calls the planned expansion of the Garmin headquarters as “one of the most progressive and pivotal events in the community’s and region’s history.”

This story was originally published November 9, 2015 at 11:21 PM with the headline "Olathe planning commission denies Garmin expansion."