Douglas County commissioners approve Twin Oaks Golf expansion despite floodplain and pesticide concerns

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners on July 9 approved site plan SP 25-19 for improvements to Twin Oaks Golf Facility at 1326 East 1900 Road, voting 5-0 to accept staff findings and impose conditions listed in the staff report.

The application authorizes demolition of three deteriorated structures, construction of a new clubhouse with under-roof driving tee boxes and an on-site restaurant, and expansion of parking along the west side of the property. County planner Mary Miller told commissioners the applicant obtained a FEMA letter of map revision that removed the proposed clubhouse location from the regulated floodplain.

The site drew sustained public comment at the meeting from nearby residents and local environmental groups who raised two main concerns: (1) that removing land from a mapped floodplain could reduce a river corridor—s ability to absorb high flows, and (2) that routine golf-course pesticide and fertilizer use could degrade water quality in the Wakarusa River and on-site oxbow wetlands. Melinda Ball of the Save the…