Douglas County approves site plan to reopen Franklin Cemetery at North 1400 Road

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 on March 12 to approve a site plan for Franklin Cemetery at 1668 North 1400 Road, an approximately 10-acre rural parcel outside the Lawrence city limits.

The county planner said the property, long used as a cemetery with burials dating to about 1914–1918, had not been active for decades but is being reopened because the church’s in-town cemetery is nearing capacity. Mary Miller, city–county planner, told commissioners the proposal changes the cemetery’s access point to avoid direct access onto a divided four-lane principal arterial (East 203rd/20th Street) and instead uses an undeveloped right-of-way and Venture Park Drive.

Miller said the access will cross a parcel north of the cemetery and briefly occupy the city’s EE Street right-of-way; the city has agreed to a license for use of right-of-way that must be executed and recorded. “This is a pretty straightforward site plan,” Miller said, describing staff conditions that require the license agreement be recorded at the register of deeds, a notation on the site plan that the East 203rd access remains but is not public, and confirmation of 30-foot setbacks for an on‑site maintenance structure.

Dean Grow of Grove Engineering, the applicant’s representative, said he had nothing further to add and thanked staff for coordinating the parts and pieces. “I really don't have anything to add. I think Mary did a great job,” Grow said.

Under the conditions approved by the commissioners, the access drive through the city parcel will be built to city construction standards (including asphalt pavement) and paved into the rural parcel to provide ADA-accessible parking and a walkway connecting the lot to a columbarium and burial areas. The staff report notes there are historical graves on the site and says the applicant does not intend to disturb them.

There was no public comment on the site plan at the meeting. After commissioners discussed the plan and asked about setbacks, a motion to approve the staff report for the site plan (listed on the agenda as SP241044) passed 5-0.

The approval is conditioned on: execution and recording of the city right-of-way license; a note on the site plan about the nonpublic status of the East 203rd access (retained only for cemetery heavy equipment); recording information for the license on the site plan; and verification of the 30-foot structure setbacks in the plan notes. The county staff presentation also said the city commission was scheduled to consider the license on March 18.

The action returns the property to active cemetery use with new, recorded access and several mapping and setback conditions intended to preserve existing historical resources and meet county and city access standards.