Resident appeals denial of second-kitchen permit, criticizes ‘unwritten’ sink limit

Lorelei Tangen of Osawatomie said she will appeal a Planning and Zoning Board denial of a permit to install a second kitchen and multiple sinks in a barn, scheduled for the board of appeals on July 7. She told commissioners the denial rested partly on the county’s interpretation that "a 2nd kitchen equals a 2nd dwelling, period."

Tangen said the other reason given — an informal interpretation that accessory buildings may have only "1 sink, 1 toilet, 1 shower" — is not written in county code and was described to her in an email exchange with planning staff (Kenny Cook) as a historical interpretation. "This is very concerning to me that the County Planning Department is permitted to limit the number of sinks in an accessory structure based on an unwritten made up rule," she said.

She asked the county to adopt systemic changes so permit decisions rely on written code and not customary interpretation, noting that multiple sinks and second kitchens are neither rare nor unusual and that denying or approving permits should be based on clearly written code except in unusual cases. Tangen said her dealings with planning staff have been professional but that reliance on historic practice, rather than the written ordinance, undermines confidence in the appeals process.

The comment came during the public-comment portion of the Miami County Commission’s July 1 meeting; Tangen urged the commission and planning staff to clarify or amend code language so similar disputes are resolved by explicit rules rather than informal custom.