County approves growth package

It took about two years of work, but Douglas County commissioners Wednesday night approved a package of regulation amendments and revisions that will play a major role in how the county grows and develops in the next 20 years.

The amendments cover portions of the city-county growth document, Horizon 2020, as well as regulations for rural subdivisions and rural land and floodplain management.

“They are easier to understand and easier to administrate,” Commission Chairman Bob Johnson said.

Commissioners Charles Jones and Jere McElhaney agreed, while noting that there will be glitches that require fine-tuning.

Commissioners gave their approval after a public hearing attended by about a dozen local residents as well as other county officials. The package will be forwarded to the Lawrence City Commission for approval.

Some of the key revisions include:

¢ Allowing a parcel of land of at least 20 acres outside the urban growth area to be divided for two single-family houses, if the parcel is bounded on only one side by a full-maintenance road. It can be divided for three residences if certain additional requirements are met.

If those requirements are met, landowners can follow an administrative process that allows them to obtain building permits and file a survey with the register of deeds office. It will not be necessary to go before the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission to request rezoning.

The urban growth area is the space around Lawrence where future annexation is expected. Eudora, Baldwin and Lecompton do not have identified urban growth areas.

¢ Permitting development on parcels from 20 to 40 acres inside the urban growth area, but only on 60 percent of the parcel. The remaining 40 percent is to be set aside for development after annexation. If an owner has 40 or more acres, he can develop up to 60 percent of the land immediately but must go through a process similar to a “ghost plat,” to plan how future property divisions could occur after annexation by the city.

¢ Rejecting septic systems within the 100-year floodplain.

¢ Establishing methods for preserving heritage sites and environmentally or geographically sensitive lands.

Commissioners said they want to send the revision package to the city with a letter that explains why they think the changes are good. They also want to encourage the city of Lawrence to make rural water readily available. Commissioners promised to hold discussions about how the county can educate the public about the changes and how they should be implemented.

Amendments to the property access management plan covering road frontages were tabled for further discussion.