The Douglas County Commission on Wednesday will decide whether a small tofu business can use a rural county home as its production site.

The commission first took up the issue in mid-October. Twenty members of the public arrived at that meeting, with seven neighbors and one lawyer calling on the commission to not grant a conditional use permit for Central Soyfoods to operate out of the 1100 block of East 1500 Road.

They spoke of concerns regarding Central Soyfoods’ intention of growing its business and its effect on nearby property values. David Millstein, one of the company’s owners, also spoke at the first meeting and said his business employs four people with no plans for expansion.

He said Central Soyfoods produces 2,000 pounds of tofu and tempeh weekly and involves minimal traffic for distribution. It currently operates out of 710 E. 22nd St. in Lawrence.

The issue was tabled for several weeks so the county could clarify several bits of legalese regarding whether conditional use permits can be granted for a specific kind of property — like the one at East 1500 Road — known as a “vested parcel.”

Regardless of what comes of that, however, the permit is not expected to pass. Neighbors collected enough petition signatures to force a 3-0 vote, and commissioner Jim Flory, Third District, indicated during the first meeting he is not likely to give thumbs up.

“I don’t think communitywide interests outweigh the neighbors’ very serious concerns,” he said.

Also Wednesday, the commission will:

• Discuss funding options for the $6.5 million worth of improvements coming to the county’s fairgrounds. The renovations include a new open pavilion, expanded parking and a new public meeting hall. County Administrator Craig Weinaug said up to $2 million could come out of the county’s capital improvements plan.

• Revive a years-old issue of the city of Lawrence annexing three pieces of land near the Lecompton Interchange. The city first tried to acquire the lands in the late 2000s with industrial uses in mind, but because they are not adjacent to city limits, the transaction needs approval from the Douglas County Commission.

The commission approved all three, but neighbors sued. And in 2011, the Kansas Court of Appeals ruled the commission was improperly judging whether the annexations would “not hinder or prevent the proper growth and development of the area or that of any other incorporated city located within such county.” The decision effectively threw out the commission’s approval of all three annexations.

The three lands in question are a 155-acre plot to the southeast of the E 850 Road-N 1850 Road intersection as well as 69-acre and 51-acre plots between N 1800 Road and Interstate 70, both to the east of E 900 Road.

Wednesday, the commission will decide whether to ask the city if it still would like to annex the lands and begin a new evaluation process.

The commission will meet at 4 p.m. to discuss the fairgrounds and land annexation items. The tofu production item will come at its 6:35 p.m. meeting.