Douglas County Commissioner Jim Flory looks at a container of processed lard shared with commissioners Wednesday night by Lawrence entrepreneur Brian Strecker. Strecker gave commissioners the lard to demonstrate a lack of odor from his proposed specialty meat store in rural Douglas County.

A specialty meat shop is on the horizon for a 30-acre plot of land just west of Lecompton, despite vocal opposition from Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and several others.

Wednesday night, Douglas County commissioners unanimously approved Lawrence chef Brian Strecker’s conditional use permit for a 640-square-foot venture called The Burning Barrel, which will be located at 292 N. 2100 Road.

More than 50 people attended a marathon commission meeting at the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St., to voice their support or opposition to Strecker’s proposal.

Of the three dozen residents who addressed the commission, more than half spoke out against the proposal, voicing concerns about fire, odor and health hazards. Those who spoke in favor of Strecker’s business vouched for his honesty, work ethic and professional skills.

Strecker, who ran the kitchen at Lawrence’s now-shuttered Pachamamas for 13 years, said his new shop will process locally raised livestock into hams, sausages and other cuts of meat. The shop will employ no more than four people and process no more than four hogs a week, Strecker told commissioners, objecting to critics who have called the venture an “industrial” operation.

“The unwillingness for people to understand this concept kind of baffles me,” he said Wednesday night.

Kobach, who owns a one-bedroom structure on 160 acres of land less than a mile away from where Strecker’s shop will be located, aired concerns about the nature of the business. He told commissioners he hoped his five daughters would not have to grow up downwind from a meat processing plant and raised doubts that the business would be able to abide by all the rules and regulations set forth by governing bodies.

“We’re all supposed to know the law and every governing body is supposed to encourage and facilitate compliance with the law,” he said.

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Kobach’s own property in the area has been the subject of some recent controversy around the application of county zoning codes.

After more than three hours of public comment, commissioners reached their unanimous decision in a matter of minutes.

Commissioner Thellman complimenting the Kobach children for sitting through 4 hours. "I'm sure their civic duty was done a long time ago."

— Conrad Swanson (@Conrad_Swanson) August 13, 2015

Addressing Strecker before the vote, Commissioner Mike Gaughan apologized for the issue becoming “so divisive.”

“Everything that is going to be done in this facility could be done if the hogs were raised on the property,” Gaughan said. “If that’s the case, then we’re giving a bunch of hypotheticals that could happen anyway.”

Calling the potential detriment to the neighboring properties by Strecker’s business “overblown,” Commissioner Nancy Thellman voiced her support for the future business.

“It is a relatively tiny business we’re talking about,” she said. “It’s a small, small enterprise when it comes to meat processing, and I understand the fearfulness of change, but I am not convinced this is going to create a litany of woes for everyone in the neighborhood.”

Commissioner Jim Flory stated his support for the local agriculture industry and said he felt comfortable with the way the issues brought up with the business were resolved.

Douglas County Commissioner Jim Flory looks at a container of processed lard shared with commissioners Wednesday night by Lawrence entrepreneur Brian Strecker. Strecker gave commissioners the lard to demonstrate a lack of odor from his proposed specialty meat store in rural Douglas County.

The three commissioners then unanimously approved Strecker’s application for a conditional use permit with the addition of several stipulations, including:

• Only four full-time employees may work at the shop.

• Commercial vehicles exceeding five tons may make no more than two trips per day.

• Odors, noises, lights and vibrations associated with the shop’s production may not be seen, heard or felt beyond the property boundary.

• The slaughtering of animals may not take place on the property.

After the meeting, Strecker said he was pleased with the commission’s decision and was looking forward to changing the minds of those who originally opposed his venture.

“All I can do now is hope to create the facility that I put forth, which I know I will, and appease the people that are out there that are still concerned about it, because I don’t want to rub people wrong, and I want to make people happy out there, and I plan on doing that,” he said.

In other business Wednesday night, commissioners:

• Unanimously voted to adopt the county’s proposed $79 million 2016 budget, maintaining property tax rates for another year.

Previously, commissioners tentatively agreed on the budget, which keeps the county’s mill levy at 41.01 mills.

Now adopted, the budget will take effect Jan. 1, 2016, with the start of the new fiscal year, County Administrator Craig Weinaug said.