Commission Establishment

The Shawnee County Planning Commission was created on October 6, 2003, with the passage of Home Rule Resolution No. 2003-14. The Commission held its first organizational meeting on October 22, 2003.

Meeting Schedule

The Planning Commission meets the second Monday of every month, at 6 p.m. in the Shawnee County Annex, 1515 NW Saline Street, Topeka, Kansas. To find that and other information, read the current year’s Schedule of Processing. The Planning Commission conducts an informational meeting with staff at 5:00 pm prior to the 6:00 pm public hearing. The information meeting is held in the Planning Department and is open to the public.

Commission Functions

As established by Home Rule Resolution, the primary functions of the Planning Commission include:

• Prepare and update plans showing the physical development of the county and the conservation of natural resources;
• Make recommendations to the County Commission regarding the development and adoption of the Capital Improvement Plan;
• Develop and maintain a Comprehensive Plan for the County;
• Prepare and make recommendations to the County Commission for the adoption of zoning and subdivision regulations and other regulatory tools designed to implement the long-term strategies of the Comprehensive Plan;
• Review all proposals for the subdivision of land within unincorporated Shawnee County for conformance to specified standards; and,
• Review all proposals for amendments to the Zoning Regulations and making recommendations to the County Commission.

Commission Membership

The Planning Commission consists of seven members who serve staggered terms of up to three years with each County Commissioner appointing two members and the seventh member appointed en bloc. The current membership of the Planning Commission is as follows:

• Tyler Tenbrink (Chair)


• Jeanette Johnson (Vice-Chair)


• Rosa Cavazos (Member)


• Ken Corbet (Member)


• Terry Robinson (Member)


• Chad Gerhardt (Member)


• Josh Greening (Member)