A rural Baldwin City couple failed to get the necessary unanimous vote from the Douglas County Commission on Wednesday for their outdoor dinner theater proposal.

John and Sharon Vesecky’s proposal, which also included establishing a farmers market and storage area for boats and recreational vehicles, required a conditional-use permit.

Commissioner Bob Johnson was the only one of the three commissioners to vote against the permit, but a unanimous vote was required because a protest petition was filed with the county by opponents of the Vesecky’s proposal.

The petition was signed by 10 people who live near the Veseckys. The Veseckys live and own property at 1814 North 600 Road, just north of Douglas County State Fishing Lake. The petitioners expressed concerns about increased traffic and dust from people attending the dinner theater, which would have had a seating capacity of 150. They also said traffic safety would be jeopardized because of RVs traveling through the area and traversing low-water bridges.

Johnson agreed. “I don’t think this is the right place for this,” he said.

Although Commissioners Jere McElhaney and Charles Jones voted in favor of the permit, they said that they also had reservations about the dinner theater, which would have been limited to three events per week with a closing time at midnight. They said they wondered whether the closing should be earlier.

In other business, commissioners:

¢ Approved a conditional-use permit for The Woods corporate retreat proposal for 353 acres northeast of the intersection of North 1800 and East 600 roads, about 2.5 miles southeast of Lecompton. The permit was sought so a country club building, swimming pool and chapel could be constructed. Commissioners also wanted it noted that the permit doesn’t allow the use of guns on the property. Developers DFC of Lawrence and architect Paul Werner had expressed interest in the past about having a possible shooting range or hunting area.

¢ Commissioners rejected a preliminary plat for Stonewall Farms subdivision about a mile northwest of Lawrence at North 1800 and East 1000 roads, north of the Kansas Turnpike. The developer, Peridian Group, failed to get the Commission’s acceptance for a revised plat after allowing it to expire over a year’s time.