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That new soccer complex in Overland Park is a beauty.

Another recently added OP attraction, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, continues to garner awards and critical raves.

Meanwhile, some of us have our fingers crossed in hopes that a developer gets the tax subsidies needed for a half-billion project that would include a $15 million cultural museum, also in OP.

In other words, I just might owe Overland Park an apology for a column I wrote three years ago.

Though it wasn’t just me who used to say that Johnson County was woefully lacking in areawide attractions.

Especially during some of the bistate tax debate, there was consensus on the Missouri side that residents of the Golden Ghetto were cultural parasites.

East of the state line, you had the stadiums, the zoo, the Nelson and other metrowide amenities.

WyCo had NASCAR, the T-Bones and the Legends.

Yet what did prosperous JoCo, with more than a half-million residents, contribute to the insurance mix in terms of entertainment and cultural offerings?

Other than a petting zoo, not much, I noted in 2006. A very nice petting zoo, mind you, but a petting zoo all the same.

Naturally, that did not sit well with the head of the Overland Park Convention and Visitors Bureau, who said I was remiss in not mentioning other Overland Park attractions, like its arboretum and popular dinner theater.

Yeah, well, he tried.

But in case you haven’t noticed, Overland Park has made some impressive advances since then.

First came the Nerman. Billed as the largest museum of contemporary art in the region, the $13 million facility opened in 2007 to international critical acclaim on the campus of Johnson County Community College.

“A quietly elegant, beautifully conceived vessel for navigating the impressive, bold collection of art within its walls,” is how my colleague Steve Paul described it.

If you haven’t been out to see it, do. Admission is free.

Likewise, the $36 million soccer complex opening next week is a unique addition that will not only bring in out-of-town soccer teams for tournaments but also serve the locals.

And within a couple of years, Overland Park just might be where you and I can go to see traveling exhibits from New York’s American Museum of Natural History.

So I’d say Overland Park is stepping up to its rank as the area’s second-largest city. And when the economy improves, let’s hope other suburban communities do the same.

After all, I doubt we’ll ever pass another bistate tax. But that’s fine, as long as each part of town moves us forward.

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To reach Mike Hendricks, call 816-234-7708 or send e-mail to mhendricks@kcstar.com.