Big news out of Washington, D.C., today for Manhattan and K-State.  The National Bio and Agro-defense Facility is officially on its way to Manhattan.  Recent news articles have crowed the projections that Manhattan could double in size in the next 15 years as a result of the NBAF and associated growth in the Manhattan area.

While I saw some resistance to the NBAF lab while in Manhattan this weekend, this seems like unqualifiedly good news for K-State and Manhattan.  High-paying job growth and a lot more people in the area mean more people at games and more revenue for the athletic department.  That means better facilities and bigger athletic budgets.

Of course, there are challenges ahead, such as upgrading Manhattan's infrastructure to accomodate the growth and possible legal challenges from aggrieved Texans.  But this may be the biggest development in Manhattan since Kansas State University was located there.