The historic Antioch Library branch on Shawnee Mission Parkway is on track to get a new owner: the city of Merriam.
Last week, the Merriam City Council unanimously voted to approve a nearly $4 million contract to purchase the library branch — the Johnson County Library system’s original headquarters — at 8700 Shawnee Mission Parkway, and several nearby lots.
The city’s vote matches the Johnson County Library board’s 6-1 vote on Dec. 12 to approve the same contract to sell the property to the city. (Board Vice Chair Anna van Ophem was the lone vote against the sale.)
This comes nearly a year after Johnson County Library officially closed the Antioch branch, to make way for the new Merriam Plaza branch a few blocks away, which opened in March.
The library board discussed ideas for what to do with the old branch this summer in the preliminary stages of pondering the site’s future. Selling the building was one of the options presented at that time.
The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners still needs to ratify the sale of the Antioch building to Merriam. It’s unclear when that will happen.
A closer look at the nearly $4M contract
- The contract stipulates that the city of Merriam will buy the former Antioch library building and associated properties for $3.93 million.
- The addresses involved in the sale are the library itself at 8700 Shawnee Mission Parkway, along with plots at 6235 Slater St., 8807 W. 62nd St., and 8905 W. 62nd St.
- The properties together make up roughly 3.5 acres of land on the northwest corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Antioch Road.
- The contract stipulates it will be an “as-is” sale, meaning the city will get the building in whatever condition it is in, with a 30-day inspection period and a 30-day closing period, according to library board documents.
City wants to control future development of site
- City Administrator Chris Engel told the Merriam City Council at its meeting Monday, Dec. 9, that there are opportunities for development at the old Antioch site.
- Engel reminded the city council of a 2014 Shawnee Mission Parkway corridor study that envisioned civic or residential development on the library property.
- Engel said no plans have been submitted for the former library site, but the city knows there are things the public could be interested in seeing at that location.
- Engel said the city has been approached by parties interested in developing the library site and “some of those things were exciting, some of those things were less than exciting.”
- “As we started to think about how we can best control development at that site, we had a conversation at the council level and it was decided that if the library board would be willing to sell to us, we can ensure the highest and best use for the future of that property and our residents if we were to acquire that property,” Engel told the city council.
‘Opportunity’ versus ‘rushed’ decision
- Van Ophem, the library board member who ultimately voted against the sale contract, said she thinks the sale of the Antioch branch was “rushed” with little discussion from the library board.
- She said she felt like the library board — the body in charge of deciding the property’s future — was left out of discussions, noting that officials from Merriam, Johnson County Chairman Mike Kelly, the county manager’s office and County Librarian Tricia Sullentrop have been discussing the sale of the site. (The library board did discuss Antioch’s future in July and November.)
- Others like board members David Sims and Chrysalyn Huff said they supported selling the property to the city because they saw it as a fair offer.
- Library Board Chair Kelly Kilgore and board member Jennifer Hrabe said the sale of the old Antioch building will help the library board make progress on future projects.
- Kilgore said the sale “puts money in coffers to build on” the library’s comprehensive plan. Hrabe said she sees the sale to Merriam as a “welcome opportunity” as she thinks about projects like the future of the Corinth branch in Prairie Village.
Next steps:
- The Board of County Commissioners is expected to consider ratifying the library board’s decision to sell the Antioch property at a future meeting.
- The board meets at 9:30 a.m. on Thursdays in the Hearing Room at the County Administration Building, 111 S. Cherry St., in Olathe.
- Meetings can also be live streamed online here.
Go deeper: Watch the city council’s entire discussion online here, starting at 47:33. Watch the library board’s entire discussion online here, starting at 56:28.
