Residents ask Linn County not to issue building permits in Sunny Meadows subdivision while zoning questions are unresolved

During public comment, residents and property owners from the Sunny Meadows area urged the Board of County Commissioners to withhold building permits for proposed homes on 3- and 4-acre tracts until zoning questions are resolved.

Jan Longenecker summarized a March meeting with the county zoning director and told commissioners she and others were told details about the director's position would be revealed only in court. Longenecker said she and other neighbors had consulted a second, qualified zoning attorney and that 28 landowners in the area have retained legal counsel. "We continue to believe the building permit should not be issued," Longenecker said, referencing the county's regulations and the limits of agricultural zoning.

Jim Hendershot, a former Tanglewood Lakes board member, thanked commissioners for meeting with residents and said the neighborhood had remained calm and cooperative. Residents said they would use the Board of Zoning Appeals and a 60-day appeal period if the zoning director approves permits; they also said they plan to file Kansas Open Records Act requests on a monthly basis to monitor any approvals.

The board did not take action during public comment but commissioners were asked to confer with the zoning director and provide guidance on whether permits consistent with agricultural zoning should be allowed for the proposed lot sizes.

Ending: Residents will pursue appeals and records requests if permits are issued; the board did not act at the meeting but residents asked for clear guidance from the zoning director and the commissioners.