Hammons selected to build arena, hotel in Olathe, Kan.

John Q. Hammons is using his financial clout to build civic projects outside of the Springfield area.

The Kansas City suburb of Olathe, Kan., selected John Q. Hammons Industries as the developer of record for an arena, hotel and conference center, according to Olathe's assistant city manager, Richard Garofano.

Hammons could not be reached for comment, but Garofano said the development process is in the early stages that of securing private and public finances for the project. Cost projections are not yet known, said Garofano, who is the Olathe official overseeing the development, but the proposal includes an 8,000- to 10,000-seat arena, a 300-room Embassy Suites Hotel and a 90,000- to 100,0000-square-foot conference center.

Last fall, Olathe City Council selected Hammons to develop the site at I-35 and 119th Street. Three other development teams submitted proposals.

"We went through a selection process and the council passed a resolution that named John Q. Hammons Industries as the developer of record," Garofano said.

Garofano said the council selected Hammons because of his vision and financial resources for the project.

"The proposal that Mr. Hammons is developing for the city is to provide the numbers to city council in terms of construction cost," he said. "He has to provide all of those numbers in terms of what kinds of taxes could be generated to help pay off some of the infrastructure costs."

Garofano said a tax increment financing district is a likely source of financing. Hammons is expected to present the financing plan Feb. 12.

According to reports, Hammons told Olathe council members that he might expand the project to include a Bass Pro Shops retail store and a baseball stadium.

Hammons is familiar with the area: he proposed to build a convention center three years ago in Olathe's neighboring suburb Overland Park. Hammons lost out to Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which recently completed the convention center and a 412-room Sheraton Hotel just 10 minutes from the proposed Olathe site.