Dickinson County Streamlines Approval for Home-Based Bed and Breakfasts
The Dickinson County Commission approved Resolution 101526, amending Article 21 of the county's supplementary use regulations to change the status of bed and breakfast or short-term rental facilities operating within single-family residences from a listed conditional use to a listed accessory use approved administratively in the AG-40 and AG-80 districts.
Tim Hamilton of the county's planning and zoning office told commissioners the change was recommended by both the planning commission and staff. He said it is intended to streamline the process for short-term rentals and bed-and-breakfast facilities that operate specifically out of single-family homes, and does not apply to facilities with multiple units in exterior or detached structures.
Hamilton said such uses typically do not generate significant traffic, which is usually the trigger for requiring a conditional use permit. He said the existing conditional use process takes approximately 40 to 60 days, and commissioners noted the recent bed-and-breakfast application added roughly three to four weeks because of publication and other steps.
"Cut a little red tape if we can," one commissioner said, describing the change as customer-friendly. Commissioners asked Hamilton to keep them informed by memo or in his regular staff report when such approvals are made, so they can answer public questions. Hamilton said he is reviewing the county's full list of conditional uses to identify others that could be shifted to administrative or accessory approval, and would run proposed changes by the commission before acting.
Hamilton also noted that telecommunications towers and similar uses will remain in the conditional use permit process because of federal and state requirements and local impact concerns. He said the county charges a $200 fee to file a conditional use permit, lower than some eastern Kansas counties that charge close to $1,000. Commissioners indicated the fee structure will be reviewed again in January.
