[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6675915,"mediaKeyId","3800938-295095c04d0db4f4640d6096aeccb2cb","parentId",3800938,"title","Planning commission recommends rezoning for Godfrey office; KDOT entrance and drainage conditions required","audioSeconds",1279,"startMs",699000,"endMs",1978000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3800938-295095c04d0db4f4640d6096aeccb2cb&start=699&end=1978","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3800938-295095c04d0db4f4640d6096aeccb2cb/thumbnail_699000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6675915/Shawnee-County/Kansas/Planning-commission-recommends-rezoning-for-Godfrey-office-KDOT-entrance-and-drainage-conditions-required","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675915-950097e2e82ad559cb265bd662023235/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151338&Signature=a92K1Q2oBKza75E6rG79jLfQMw3YT6oTPgUQx0b72uMrv4QPE4NOaNOZ9q2AfFBJc2QwAAi4cGQuAGejFfjL444u5f6RJgvZQNZXcVQY0lthcpc7T8Z94szzSLeLQbtFl2qQe3hJ~Gs-fKoAvif-u4Ys7o-TKAOoIK17Z3cxuBGqFD4GTOBmHWdkVgsCJwmiIwfnYIjBYlNBX6RVFFj2tbkxKdepiASzouXEqec5X5Fuk3ZzARMCOTK1yNEFxDiBsh0QNsn7ikBCVMVgsVDVXzz6liGsbefYgSnyamB1EOedSRd~bUnQbwdw7aSeFGYZVMKg97r7qyfTZMxDfWO2GQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Shawnee County","date","2025-06-10T10:52:17.073Z","article","The Shawnee County Planning Commission recommended approval of rezoning case Z2502 for Darren and Maya Godfrey, voting unanimously to forward the request to the Board of County Commissioners with conditions.

The commission\u000027s action would amend the zoning classification on a roughly 3-acre parcel on the US Highway 40 frontage road at NW Carlson Road in Dover Township from RA‑1 (agricultural/residential) to ONI (office/industrial). Planning and zoning administrator Harim Perez told the commission the applicant plans a small, family-operated general office building with administrative functions and an expected 3 to 4 employees; staff characterized the proposal as a low-impact use that would not generate high traffic volumes.

Staff recommended approval subject to three conditions: submission of a Category 8 drainage report to Public Works for review and approval; an entrance permit from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT); and the applicant\u000027s responsibility for supplemental maintenance of the access/frontage road, \"including placing rock as needed,\" because KDOT will maintain the frontage road only to the extent required for field access.

Dover Township treasurer Susan Aiken spoke in opposition, expressing concern that the state has previously sought to turn short frontage roads back to townships and asking what guarantee the township would have against inheriting road maintenance. Applicant Darren Godfrey said the KDOT entrance-and-usage documentation written as part of the permit specifies that he will maintain the frontage road up to his entrance and that he has agreed to do gravel/snow/cleanup maintenance. Planning staff clarified that KDOT's comments to staff characterized the frontage road as maintained \"only to the extent required for a field access road\" and that the county has no authority to bind KDOT on long-term maintenance or prevent future changes in KDOT\u000027s maintenance decisions.

After commissioners discussed the item, a motion to approve the rezoning request subject to the three staff conditions carried unanimously on roll call. The vote record shows the commissioners present voted \"yes\"; the item was recommended for approval and will be heard by the County Commission on Monday, July 7 at 9 a.m.

The decision before the planning commission was limited to the zoning amendment and the conditions described above; any future changes to the frontage road's ownership or KDOT's maintenance policy would be handled between KDOT, the township, or the county outside of this rezoning proceeding.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Shawnee County Kansas Commission Meeting 2025/06/09","oneSentenceSummary","The Shawnee County Planning Commission recommended approval of a rezoning request for a roughly 3-acre parcel on the US‑40 frontage road in Dover Township to allow a small family office, subject to a drainage report, a Kansas Department of Transportation entrance permit, and applicant maintenance of the access road.","taxTitle","Shawnee County, Kansas","taxId",2886,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6675906,"Shawnee County planners debate draft solar regulations; decommissioning, battery safety and acreage caps draw scrutiny",1965,1971000,5928,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3800938-295095c04d0db4f4640d6096aeccb2cb&start=1971&end=5","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3800938-295095c04d0db4f4640d6096aeccb2cb/thumbnail_1971000.jpg","/articles/6675906/Shawnee-County/Kansas/Shawnee-County-planners-debate-draft-solar-regulations-decommissioning-battery-safety-and-acreage-caps-draw-scrutiny","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6675906-ee7a7d9b45e11424de6ac4b6e8b47ad9/orig.mp4?Expires=1771151338&Signature=Bng-2ZrexZhaHcDsqRGpeImrEggEqRISZ~tBPt-IDqXSv0iJi5pRufQZ91L2bKz0eWCug1NRji0PhymWn~iI~fG1UVyeStNMZ6EiP0rnnmtkUPr0gWLGws-ef5J5EmQGWTWlYdkCIYZWoCteKx0tbpFr1gYXeQpBkPgZ7-P~dQg4cl994fQDpUktmzce32u2sTOCpvHS7w3WFFUn8amSRAKpN9v9kbRR4nkucuDEjIUVsAFkOgmpEa05wDC7~-0MLogqNkMZ7M8gan0iU8QAOBghJj0AfK4YSXzHSwrAjP9mvglwZNt7LS7bnrT6DWgpOWzea9K0Vl3yRG7nLHkYsA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Planning staff presented a draft set of regulations for solar energy conversion systems and engaged the Planning Commission in a multi-hour work session that focused on project size, decommissioning and financial assurance, interconnection, and battery-storage safety.

The draft would allow utility-scale solar through a conditional use permit in RA, RR, I‑1 and I‑2 zones (with exceptions for special flood hazard areas). Key proposed limits and requirements included a maximum project area of 240 acres, a minimum distance of 2 miles between project area boundaries, and setbacks of 500 feet from existing residences, 150 feet from other buildings or accessory structures, 50 feet from property lines, and 150 feet from roads or unimproved road rights-of-way. Staff also proposed a one-year operational review and subsequent reviews every five years. The draft includes a clause allowing the governing body (the Board of County Commissioners) to vary or waive minimum requirements upon written request and a finding that the waiver is consistent with the regulations\u000027 purpose and intent.

Planning staff described much of the remaining detail as \"may be applicable\" items to be applied case-by-case — similar to how quarry conditions are handled — rather than hard regulatory mandates. Those items listed as potentially applicable include decommissioning and reclamation plans, financial assurance (bonding), soil erosion plans, vegetative buffers and landscaping, glare mitigation, traffic and construction management, hazardous‑materials and fire safety plans for battery storage, baseline soil and groundwater testing, and notification requirements for extraordinary events or changes in operator ownership.

Public comment and commissioners' discussion highlighted competing priorities. Mark Galbraith, a resident who identified himself as living in Topeka, argued for greater flexibility and landowner discretion, questioning whether a 240‑acre cap could unnecessarily constrain development and noting that solar and agriculture can sometimes coexist. Planning commissioner Jeanette Johnson explicitly said her \"big issue\" was to require a decommissioning plan and financial assurance to prevent abandonment and ensure reclamation; other commissioners and staff agreed those elements warranted strong consideration.

Commissioners and staff discussed technical and jurisdictional limits. Staff noted that transmission-line siting and larger transmission issues fall under state utilities jurisdiction (Kansas Corporation Commission and the utilities), but urged applicants to include interconnection plans or power purchase/interconnection agreements as part of the conditional use submittal so the commission can evaluate how projects will reach the grid. Several commissioners flagged battery storage as a high‑risk element requiring consultation with fire districts and potentially baseline water-supply or hydrant-pressure assessments because of the difficulty suppressing lithium-ion battery fires and the need for adequate water supply.

Staff recommended several practical edits: require a baseline soil and groundwater test at project start and require notification and additional testing after extraordinary events (for example, severe storms that damage panels). Commissioners discussed moving decommissioning, financial assurance, and interconnection documentation from the \"may be applicable\" list into required items. Staff said they would research battery-storage rules and fire-safety requirements and return to the commission at a future meeting.

No formal regulatory adoption took place at the work session; commissioners directed staff to refine the draft, research battery-storage and interconnection issues, clarify which items are administratively required versus commission-levied conditions, and return with revisions at a subsequent meeting.","Planning staff presented a draft of county regulations to allow utility‑scale solar by conditional use in certain rural and industrial zones, proposing a 240‑acre cap, multi-tiered setbacks, periodic operational reviews, and an administrative waiver clause.","actionData","errors"]

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Planning commission recommends rezoning for Godfrey office; KDOT entrance and drainage conditions required

Shawnee County planners debate draft solar regulations; decommissioning, battery safety and acreage caps draw scrutiny