Douglas County approves temporary permits for geotechnical testing tied to Kansas Sky Energy Center

Douglas County commissioners on Oct. 22 approved four temporary business use permits to allow geotechnical site investigation, soil sampling and underground surveying related to the Kansas Sky Energy Center, a proposed utility-scale solar project. The permits cover testing in five sections of Grant Township and were approved 5-0.

County planner Carl Bauer explained that temporary business uses (TBUs) are permitted under the zoning code for environmental data collection and are processed by the Zoning and Codes Office rather than the Planning Commission. Bauer said the current requests from Evergy Kansas Central Inc. would allow temporary testing only and staff recommended approval with conditions, including a one-year permit window and a requirement that all testing occur within a six-week window once begun.

The testing scope described by the applicant includes 13 soil borings, 17 test pits, 26 pile/post load tests (posts driven and left in place for 72 hours before testing), nine infiltration tests, six thermal resistivity samples, 12 soil-sample locations, and noninvasive drain-tile and gas-line surveys at roughly 39 and six locations, respectively. Bauer…