Lawrence’s builders and real estate agents have joined forces in a new advocacy group, saying they want to have a greater voice in city policy making.

“They were really behind the power curve in these things (development regulations), in that they were always testifying against things,” said Bill Yanek, director of governmental relations for the new Lawrence Builder-Realtor Coalition. “The floodplain regulations are a good example of that.”

But the regulations are not the only reason for the group’s existence, Yanek said; coalition members generally want to lower obstacles to development in Lawrence.

“They’ve seen the need for an advocacy group at the local level,” Yanek said.

There are many in Lawrence who believe the builders and real estate agents already exercise considerable influence in city decision making. Yanek understands that, but doesn’t agree. He described opponents to development as more organized and vocal, pointing to the League of Women Voters as an example.

“We would be willing to sit down and work with them,” he said.

Planning Commissioner David Burress is a member of the League. He said developers had traditionally controlled growth policy in the city, but had been increasingly challenged during the past two decades by environmentalists, neighborhood advocates and other proponents of “smart growth.”

“I think there is a change going on,” Burress said. “They are losing power.”

Still, Burress said developers had a strong voice in city politics  banding together to financially support their candidates for city and county commission.

“To say they’re not represented in the process is so far away from the truth as to be unsupportable,” Burress said. “The opposition (to developers) hasn’t done that.”

Yanek said there was common ground with those groups. Developers believe in the need to protect green space, he said.

“We think Lawrence has to balance that protection with growth to maintain a vibrant community,” he said.

More than anything, Yanek said, the new organization wants to streamline the development process in Lawrence. Right now, he said, developers face a “moving finish line” as different city departments weigh in on the merits of a particular project.

Assistant City Manager Dave Corliss said those concerns might be answered by the city’s current effort to update its zoning code, as well as recommendations from an “adequate public services” study to determine how and when the city and developers should split the costs of extending city services to a new development.

“There’s undoubtedly ways to improve the process,” Corliss said.

Yanek said he hoped the builder-Realtor coalition would help improve communication between developers and the city.

“I don’t think there’s acrimony,” Yanek said. “But we could use improved communication between what the city thinks is necessary to get a development through, and what builders and developers think is necessary to get a development through.”