In early September, Johnson County commissioners thrilled us when they approved plans for a new 127,000-square-foot, $30 million government building in Olathe that promised to be a model of environmentally friendly construction. Belying the county's well-deserved reputation for environment-be-damned sprawl and out-of-control consumption, the new building would be built partly with reclaimed redwood and would be carefully positioned around trees at Ridgeview Road and 119th Street. Windows to the south would enhance natural lighting and harness passive solar energy, and overhangs would provide shade in the summer. A reflecting pool outside the lobby would catch rainwater from the roof, and native grass would grow between spaces in the parking lots. Planners promised that the new building might reduce the county government's utility bills by half. We just hope the whole thing leads to a saner approach to development countywide.
