Residents seek new Kansas town to protect rural lifestyle

EDGERTON, Kan. — Residents living on the outskirts of a sprawling industrial park southwest of Kansas City hope that creating their own town will protect their rural lifestyle from encroaching development. Opposition to the massive Logistics Park Kansas City intermodal facility has been brewing for months, but it boiled over after the Edgerton City Council earlier this year agreed to rezone 700 rural acres to make way for more industrial properties south of Interstate 35, the Kansas City Star reported. “So we wanted to find out what we could do to seal up that border so it puts the decisions back into the hands of the residents.” Williams filed the petition on behalf of roughly 300 Miami County residents to create the new city of Golden. Subdivision developer Jerot Pearson said the new city would allow residents to protect their property rights over the long term, saying citizens now have no control over development.