Bonnie Johnson’s office at Kansas University sits just a few dozen feet from the office of David Burress, whom she’ll join next month on the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission.

But don’t read too much into the geography, Johnson said.

“I didn’t realize that until yesterday,” she said this week.

Johnson is a doctoral student at KU and a former professional city planner. She said she was ready to look at planning “from the other side of the table.”

“I know I’m just one vote (on a 10-member commission), but it will be nice to have an opinion and be able to say what that opinion is,” Johnson said.

But her experience, she said, tells her that fidelity to Horizon 2020, the city-county comprehensive plan, is of utmost importance.

“It does sound like there’s been some differences of opinion” on the Planning Commission, Johnson said. “There’s nothing wrong with that, but there’s nothing wrong with wading into that and finding common ground.

“That’s where your city’s comprehensive plan comes into play,” she said. “It’s the common ground that you cling to, because it’s the voice of the people.”

Johnson said she would have an open mind on development issues.

“There is wiggle room,” she said. “There are things that will come up that nobody anticipated” in Horizon 2020.

She doesn’t shy away from a “smart growth” label, however.

“The ‘smart growth’ definition that resonates with me is that it balances economy, ecology and culture,” Johnson said. “If you do that, you’ll have a well-rounded community.”