Atchison approves STAR Bond amendment for tourism district expansion

Atchison has taken a new formal step toward reshaping its tourism district, approving an amendment that expands the STAR bond project plan to make room for a museum facility and broader commercial entertainment uses. For residents, the immediate change is not a finished building, but a more specific path for where visitors, private investment and future development could concentrate around the district.

Ordinance 6733 was posted by the city on June 18, 2026, after the Atchison City Commission opened a public hearing on June 15, received comment, and closed the hearing before adopting the amendment by the required two-thirds vote. The ordinance says Kansas STAR bond law allows substantial changes to a project plan after notice and hearing, and that the city intends to issue special obligation bonds to carry out the revised plan.

The amendment builds on a district that has been in motion for years. The Atchison STAR Bond Project District was created by Ordinance No. 6546 on June 5, 2017, and the original project plan was approved by Ordinance No. 6570 on January 8, 2018. The new filing does not replace that framework; it expands it, tying the museum facility to the city’s wider redevelopment and tourism strategy.

That matters because STAR bond decisions can affect more than financing. They can shape traffic patterns, where visitors spend money, what kinds of private projects get drawn in and how nearby property is used over time. The ordinance also requires the city clerk to send copies of the amendment and ordinance to the Atchison County Board of County Commissioners, Unified School District No. 409 and the Kansas Department of Commerce, underscoring that the project reaches beyond city hall.

The timing is notable because the district’s earlier tourism investment has already shown results. In June reporting, city manager Mark Westhoff said the district was on track to pay off in September, 13 years early, and that the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum drew 54,000 visitors in two years, topping original projections. That gives city leaders a concrete benchmark as they pursue the amended plan: not just projected attendance, but whether the district can keep generating real public return in downtown Atchison and the surrounding area.