photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

Douglas County commissioners met on Wednesday, April 2, 2025.

Douglas County commissioners have approved a rezoning request for a landscaping business in an area along the Kansas Turnpike that has long been eyed by economic development leaders for industrial uses.

On Wednesday, county commissioners unanimously approved a request to rezone a portion of land — approximately 18 acres — to the east of the intersection of East 900 Road and North 1800 Road from AG-1, or Agricultural, to LI, or Limited Industrial.

Lawrence-based Turformance Lawn Services is planning to construct a roughly 12,000-square-foot building on the site in order to accommodate its landscaping shop and office operations. The remaining 22 acres of land surrounding the site would still be utilized for agricultural purposes.

The site is located along the Kansas Turnpike, east of the Lecompton interchange. In the past, the area has been discussed to have potential for new industrial developments.

As the Journal-World reported, the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission recommended the project for approval with a 7-3 vote. Those in opposition expressed concerns that the landscaping project would invite companies to seek similar rezonings because they want to be next to an interchange on the Kansas Turnpike.

The K-10 & Farmer’s Turnpike Area Plan outlines large portions around the Lecompton interchange for industrial and commercial development, with the expectation that the area would annex properties into Lawrence city limits. The plan was last updated by the city and county in 2022. Turformance Lawn Services’ proposal did not include seeking annexation into Lawrence.

The county commissioners all voiced support for the project, saying this was a limited land use, taking up a small portion of the land, and offered the opportunity for a rural business to grow.

Commissioner Karen Willey said she appreciates the opportunity to allow a business in rural Douglas County to locate in an area that’s beneficial to the company and isn’t disruptive to neighboring communities.

“These kinds of businesses have been tricky in the rural areas,” Willey said. “We have so few places like this that can accommodate that kind of traffic without being (an) extra burden on townships or neighbors, so the location fits. It checks all those boxes.”

Commissioner Patrick Kelly said there are large industrial land uses to the east and west of the site. He said for the most part, the development would not drastically change the neighborhood nearby and he would welcome a light industrial area along the road.

In other business, county commissioners:

• Amended the county’s agreement with Treanor Architects to add the design work for the interior of the Public Safety Building’s main floor, which would help get the Sheriff’s Office’s operations into the new building on a faster timeline, as the Journal-World reported.

When the County Commission approved a nearly $82 million budget for this building and the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center, the only parts of the Public Safety Building that were funded were the shell of the building and the interior finishings for the lower floor, which would house the emergency communications and emergency management operations. The work on the main floor, necessary for the Sheriff’s Office to move in, was originally going to take place as a separate project at a later date.

• Received a presentation on the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council’s 2025-2027 strategic plan, which was adopted on Feb. 11. The CJCC acts as an advisory board for justice system partners, stakeholders and community members to address challenges and make recommendations for improving the criminal legal system.

The plan has four main priorities: gathering and analyzing data to identify trends and inform strategic decisions, documenting existing pretrial processes and their impacts to offer recommendations for improving pretrial outcomes; assessing gaps between client needs and available services; and creating a comprehensive communication strategy for member agencies.

• Held a work session to discuss Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, or GAAP, and regulatory accounting methods. GAAP includes rules and guidelines that help prepare and report financial statements. A memo in the agenda states that the purpose of the session was to hear thoughts from commissioners on potential goals regarding whether the county should adopt a new accounting method. There was no action following the session, which was for informational purposes only.

• Awarded a contract to Scotwood Industries for the supply and application of dust control chemicals at a unit cost of $1.24 per gallon. Douglas County has a road network that includes 519 miles of rock surfaced roads. These chemicals will be used for the county’s dust control program for 2025.

• Rejected bids received for crushed rock aggregates for road and bridge maintenance. There was only one supplier who submitted a bid when normally two bids are received from local suppliers. Based on higher bid prices and the limit of one supplier, Public Works recommended rejecting the bid, according to a memo in the agenda.