Douglas County approves rezoning for 18 acres east of E 900 Rd, allows lawn‑landscape business by right

The Board of Douglas County Commissioners voted unanimously (5–0) on April 2, 2025, to rezone approximately 18 acres of a 40‑acre parcel located east of East 900 Road and north of North 1800 Road from AG‑1 (Agricultural District) to LI (Limited Industrial District). The action, adopted as Resolution 25‑15, followed a Planning Commission recommendation to approve by a 7–3 vote.

Planner Catherine Week of the Douglas County Planning Office described the site and the application. The rezoning applies only to the east 18 acres of the 40‑acre parcel; the remainder would remain AG‑1. The property sits in Tier 3 of the county’s urban‑growth area under the K‑10/Farmers Turnpike area plan, meaning city utilities are not anticipated to reach the location in the near term. Access is proposed from North 1800 Road, and the applicant expects to use rural water and an on‑site septic or similar sanitary solution coordinated with Douglas County Environmental Health Services.

Applicant Holtkamp Holdings, represented by David Hamby of BG Consultants, said the proposed use is a low‑intensity site for an office, vehicle garage and equipment storage to support Turformance Lawn Services. Dalian Holtkamp, the applicant, told commissioners he and his company had searched for a suitable site for several years and had discussed the proposal with adjacent landowners.

Week and staff noted that landscaping and lawn‑care uses are not permitted in AG‑1 either by right or by conditional use permit under the current code; the rezoning to LI would allow the company to operate its landscaping business by right without periodic CUP renewals. The staff report analyzes standard county rezoning criteria, including compatibility with surrounding zoning and land use, effect on agricultural uses, and conformance with the adopted K‑10/Farmers Turnpike area plan. The area plan designates the intersection of East 900 Road and North 1800 Road as a commercial node and shows industrial and office/research park uses nearby, which staff cited as supportive of the rezoning for long‑range growth.

Planning commissioners raised concerns about the range of uses allowed in the LI district and the timing of development in a Tier 3 area; staff and the applicant said the parcel’s site constraints — including a major electrical transmission line and previous regrading — and the applicant’s limited need (an 18‑acre footprint) reduce the risk of large industrial conversion in the near term. The Planning Commission recommended approval 7–3; county commissioners discussed the same balance of current rural character versus planned long‑range use and weighed the limited size of the rezoned portion as a mitigation.

The motion approved by the commission was to rezone Z‑24‑1019 (the east 18 acres of the parcel) from AG‑1 to LI, based on the staff findings and subject to the conditions listed in the resolution. The county record shows the motion passed 5–0. No specific conditions beyond those in the staff resolution were discussed on the record at the meeting; the resolution number is 25‑15.

Ending: The rezoning clears the way for the applicant to seek site‑plan review and building permits. County staff and the applicant said future site‑plan submittal will be required to address access, septic/health approval, parking and any additional site‑specific mitigation required by the LI district or by the adopted resolution.