It was âÂÂbad businessâ for the Lawrence City Commission to table a proposed development at Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway, Planning Commissioner Ron Durflinger said Wednesday.

âÂÂThis validates the complaint that dealing with municipal government is shooting at a constantly moving target,â Durflinger said. âÂÂWe will never attract quality development if we donâÂÂt show integrity in our dealings.âÂÂ

His criticism came after the city commission on Tuesday tabled the proposal for 92 acres of residential and commercial development on the intersectionâÂÂs southeast quadrant until an âÂÂarea planâ to guide growth at the intersectionâÂÂs three other corners was completed. That plan is due by April.

City commissioners Tuesday said they wanted to plan for a bigger picture than just one corner. They stuck with that assessment Wednesday.

âÂÂPlanning this area doesnâÂÂt make it a constantly moving target,â Mayor Sue Hack said. âÂÂIn my view, it prepares us for the next commercial area, the whole area, out west.âÂÂ

She said the city commission was dealing with the effects of failure to broadly plan other high-traffic intersections, such as 31st and Iowa streets and Sixth Street and Wakarusa Drive.

âÂÂI donâÂÂt want to put other commissions in the same place we are,â Hack said.

But Durflinger said city commissioners ignored the recommendations of city planners and the planning commission in failing to approve the development. He also said the proposal met the requirements of Horizon 2020, the city-county long-range planning document.

And he said the delay would keep the developers from working with the Kansas Department of Transportation as it plans to widen Sixth Street.

âÂÂWhat happened last night was a missed opportunity to begin the process of good planning,â Durflinger said. âÂÂThe result has every probability of costing the taxpayer and public more.âÂÂ

Diamond Head LLC is the developer; its representative, Brian Kubota, made similar angry comments to the city commission after its decision.

Durflinger made his comments immediately prior to WednesdayâÂÂs planning commission meeting; his colleagues were thus unavailable for comment.

City Commissioner David Dunfield disagreed with Durflinger.

âÂÂI think the message that we heard from Brian Kubota Tuesday and that weâÂÂre hearing from Commissioner Durflinger as well is that development interests should do planning instead of planners,â he said.

âÂÂThe message the city commission is sending is that we donâÂÂt agree with that.âÂÂ