Meeting Information
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF DOUGLAS COUNTY, KANSAS
Public comment will be taken for each regular agenda item as each item is discussed. Individuals will be limited to one comment per agenda item. Individuals are asked to come to the microphone, sign in, and state their name. Speakers are asked to sign in so that the spelling of names is correct in the minutes of the meeting. Speakers should address all comments/questions to the Commission.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2019
5:30 p.m. BUSINESS MEETING
-Proclamation declaring September 2019 as “Recovery Month.” (Sandra Dixon, DCCCA)
CONSENT AGENDA
(1) (a) Consider approval of Commission Orders;
(b) Consider approval to access the MACPP regional cooperative vehicle contract and the City of KCMO for special equipment with Shawnee Mission Ford in the amount of $75,253 from the equipment reserve (Jackie Waggoner);
(c) Consider approval of a resolution establishing the Lawrence/Douglas County Joint 2020 Census Complete County Committee (Karrey Britt);
(d) Consider approval of an employee contract with Sarah Plinsky to serve as County Administrator (John Bullock); and
(e) Accounts payable.
REGULAR AGENDA
(2) Consider a Site Plan, SP-19-00313, for construction of a 4,756 square foot building addition and a change in use from a research facility to Contractor’s Shop and Storage Yard and Offices. The property contains approximately 3.12 acres and is addressed as 1451 N. 1823 Road. Submitted by Paul Werner Architects for Compton Holdings LC, property owner of record. (Mary Miller is the Planner)
(3) General Public Comment
General Public Comment will be at the end of each meeting with a limit of one comment per person and keep their comments brief. Individuals may not give unused time to other speakers. As a general practice, the Commission will not discuss/debate these items, nor will the Commission make decisions on items presented during this time, rather they will refer the items to staff for follow up, if necessary.
(4) Committee Reports
(5) Commissioner and/or Administrator Miscellaneous
(6) Adjourn
September 11, 2019
Derusseau called the Regular Session to order at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, September 11, 2019 with all Commissioners present.
PROCLAMATION 09-11-19
Derusseau read a proclamation declaring September 2019 as Recovery Month in Douglas County. Sandra Dixon, Director of Behavioral Health, and many representatives involved in behavioral health care were present to support the many initiatives offered in Douglas County, Kansas.
CONSENT AGENDA 09-11-19
Thellman moved approval of the following Consent Agenda:
► Access the MACPP Regional Cooperative Vehicle Contract and the City of KCMO for special equipment with Shawnee Mission Ford in the amount of $75,253 and paying for this purchase from the equipment reserve fund 60250100 85015;
► Adoption of Joint City Resolution No. 7296/County Resolution No. 19-28 establishing the Lawrence/Douglas County Joint 2020 Census Complete County Committee:
► Employment Agreement between the Board of County Commissioners of Douglas County and Sarah Plinsky to fill the position of County Administrator; and
► Accounts payable in the amount of $1,696,121.59 to be paid on 09/12/19.
Motion was seconded by Kelly and carried 3-0.
PLANNING 09-11-19
The Board considered SP-19-00313, a site plan for construction of a 4,756 square foot building addition and a change in use from a research facility to a Contractor’s Shop, Storage Yard, and Offices. The property contains approximately 3.12 acres and is addressed as 1451 N. 1823 Road. The application was submitted by Paul Werner Architects for Compton Holdings LC, property owner of record. Mary Miller, Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Staff, presented the item.
Staff recommends approval of the site plan based on the following findings:
Per Section 12-319A-5, staff shall first find that the following criteria have been met:
1. The proposed use is permitted in the district in which the property is located. This property is zoned I-2 (Light Industrial) District. The proposed uses, Offices and Contractor’s Shop and Storage Yard, are permitted in the I-2 District with site plan approval.
2. The proposed arrangement of buildings, off-street parking, access, lighting, landscaping, and drainage is compatible with adjacent land uses. The design of the site was approved with previous site plans and the general layout remains the same. The size of the building will be increased with the replacement of the one-story annex on the west side with a two-story annex with a slightly larger footprint. Twenty-eight additional parking spaces will be added to accommodate the new use. No new exterior lighting is proposed with this plan. Any new exterior lighting will require the submittal of a lighting plan to the Planning office for approval prior to installation.
Access is prohibited from the highway but is taken from the shared drive to the north. While the shared drive to the north is not currently a street, it functions as a street; therefore, trees were required to be planted along the frontage adjacent to the shared drive. Buffering landscaping was added along the south property line to buffer the facility from the cemetery and landscaping in the form of trees and clumps of shrubs were planted along the highway to the west. No additional landscaping is required with this plan, but all landscaping shown on the plan must be provided prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
The change of use includes the addition of exterior storage of construction materials and fleet vehicles. The property is adjacent to the industrial zoning district and uses on the west, north, and east, but is adjacent to the Maple Grove Cemetery on the south. The plan notes that a 6-foot tall wood fence will be installed along the perimeter of the storage area to screen it from the cemetery.
The arrangement of the buildings, lighting, landscaping, and drainage is compatible with adjacent land uses.
3. The vehicular ingress and egress to and from the site and circulation within the site provides for safe, efficient, and convenient movement of traffic not only within the site but on adjacent roadways as well.
No change is being made to the access. The site, as well as other properties along the shared access drive, labeled N. 1823 Road, take access from this drive. N. 1823 Road then provides one access point on the highway.
4. The site plan provides for the safe movement of pedestrians within the site. Pedestrian traffic is expected between the parking area and the offices. The parking area is within close proximity to the building entrance on the west side of the building and a walkway connects the parking area to the building. The remainder of the site will be used for the contractor shop and yard, and pedestrian traffic is not anticipated in this area.
5. There is a sufficient mixture of grass, trees, and shrubs within the interior and perimeter (including public right-of-way) of the site so that the proposed development will be in harmony with adjacent land uses and will provides a pleasing appearance to the public. Any part of the site plan not used for building, structures, parking, or access ways shall be landscaped with a mixture of grass, trees, and shrubs. The Zoning Regulations do not specify an amount of landscape material (trees and shrubs) required for a specific use. The original site was developed with trees and shrubs and the site plan shows this approved landscaping.
The existing and proposed landscaping will result in a development that is in harmony with adjacent land uses and will provide a pleasing appearance to the public.
6. All outdoor trash areas are screened. The outdoor trash areas are shown screened with 6-foot tall wooden fencing.
Conclusion. This application has been reviewed in accordance with the County Zoning Regulations. The proposed site plan, as conditioned, complies with the standards listed in the regulations.
The Commission asked the applicant if the owner would be willing to extend the proposed fencing all along on the south side of the property to screen the cemetery from the storage area. Laticia Cole, Paul Warner Architects, stated the applicant agreed to extend the fence.
Derusseau opened the item for public comment. No comment was received.
Kelly moved approval of Site Plan, SP-19-00313, for the construction of a 4,756 square foot building addition and a change in use from a research facility to a Contractor’s Shop and Storage Yard and Offices with the added condition that the applicant extend the fencing all along the south side of the property to screen the cemetery. Motion was seconded by Thellman and carried 3-0.
APPOINTMENTS 09-11-19 - None.
GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT 09-11-19 - None.
COMMITTEE REPORTS 09-11-19
· Kelly attended the Affordable Housing Advisory Board meeting. Discussion included splitting RS5 lots. The Planning Commission decided it should go through a Special Use Permit (SUP) process. The group also approved NOVA for affordable housing funding. In addition, Kelly attended the Human Coalition Board meeting on September 11.
· Thellman attended a meeting with Dr. Ann Jennings, The Anna Institute, on Monday, September 9 and discussed the County’s plan for children involved with behavioral health crisis because of their parents.
· Derusseau said she attended the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council meeting on September 10. Jasmin Moore, Director of Sustainability, conducted a presentation on the Kansas Leadership Center training update; and the group discussed that it is the responsibility of the CJCC to come before the County Commission to make recommendations for funding. The council needs to prioritize their projects and present during the budget process.
COMMISSIONERS AND/OR ADMINISTRATIVE MISCELLANEOUS 09-11-19
· The Board recognized Joel Hoelscher, Interim Director of Emergency Management, for his 10 months of service to Douglas County, which included a number of emergencies: a blizzard, two floods, and a tornado. Hostler’s last day will be Friday, September 13.
Schedule Items
· Lawrence Schools Foundation Community Education Breakfast: Friday, September 20 from 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM at the Lawrence DoubleTree by Hilton (200 McDonald Dr.).
Information Items:
· Long Term Recovery Committee Update. The spreadsheet tracking Douglas County residents in need has been updated and organized. Staff and volunteers contacted those with outstanding needs directly and their needs were categorized in one of two areas: Safe, Sanitary, and Secure (SSS) or Case Management. SSS needs were referred to United Methodist Church for immediate assistance. Case Management needs will be referred to Catholic Charities. On-site Case Management outreach is scheduled for the last week of September.
· KLC 2019 Update. Douglas County received 50 full scholarships to attend Kanas Leadership Center (KLC) leadership training in 2019. Results and reflections have been collected from the attendees and the County is slated to receive additional scholarships in 2020.
· Prime Farmland Soils. Douglas County Appraisal and GIS check State of Kansas and USDA resources, respectively, on an annual basis to see if there are soil taxonomy changes that warrant updates to the Enterprise GIS layer (soils) for use in property agriculture maps and by other departments. There were numerous changes from 2017 to 2018 but none between 2018 and 2019. GIS will be adding a more intuitive layer to the County’s Public Property Viewer in coming days to show Prime Farmland soils.
Open Board Appointments
· Douglas County Food Policy Council (Local food system/Ag Producer) - (2) positions open
· JAAA Advisory Council - (1) position open
· JAAA Board of Directors - (1) position open
· Lawrence-Douglas County Advocacy Council on Aging - (10) open positions
· Joint Economic Development Council – (2) positions open
· Public Building Commission – (1) position open
Derusseau adjourned the meeting at 6:22 p.m.
____________________________ ____________________________
Michelle Derusseau, Chair Patrick Kelly, Vice-Chair
ATTEST:
__________________________ ____________________________
Jamie Shew, County Clerk Nancy Thellman, Member
Time and Date