The Shawnee County Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved Resolution 2025-79 on Oct. 13 to grant a conditional use permit to Evergy to construct an unmanned electrical substation on a roughly 6-acre portion of land north of Tenth Street in Mission Township.

Joanie Thadani, director of the planning department, explained the permit seeks to allow Evergy to acquire and use the site for reliability and capacity improvements. She said Evergy asked the county to waive a standard 24-month automatic-expiration provision in the conditional use rules because the utility plans to acquire the parcel in 2026 but does not expect to begin construction until 2032–33.

Jessica Keck, representing Evergy, described the proposed installation as a fenced, unmanned substation containing transformers, breakers and switching equipment. Keck told the board the site is not in a floodplain or wetland and "the nearest residence [is] about 475 feet from the substation fence line." She said Evergy plans a three-eighths-inch mesh fence, seven feet tall with an additional foot of barbed wire, and a landscaped berm and native vegetation to screen the site from nearby trails and the Kansas Museum facility to the south.

Thadani said staff recommended approval subject to conditions, including coordination with AT&T to confirm fiber-optic locations prior to any construction and that the county is not requiring annexation or platting at this time but that requirements could change if utilities or sanitation conditions change. The Planning Commission recommended approval by a 3–1 vote.

Commissioner Mayes moved approval; Commissioner Kevin Cook seconded. The board voted 3–0 to approve the conditional use permit. The permit allows Evergy to proceed with land acquisition and to work with county staff on required conditions; formal construction timing will be determined later.

Keck said construction traffic will be limited to business hours and that post-construction maintenance is expected to be infrequent (about once a month). The board did not add conditions beyond those recommended by staff.

The decision clears the way for Evergy to complete its property purchase and continue long-term grid-improvement planning in the area.