The outlines of a proposed new growth area around Lawrence are stunning but believable.

The proposed new boundaries for Lawrence’s “urban growth area” are a bit stunning to long-time local residents.

Remember when there was no Lawrence west of Kasold Drive and Dragstrip Road (now Wakarusa Drive) really led to a rural dragstrip? Remember when Clinton Lake was described as “west of Lawrence? If Lawrence actually does fill in the proposed urban growth area, the lake would be surrounded on three sides by the city.

It makes you feel kind of old.

The purpose of extending the growth area is to make sure that development in the area around Lawrence foresees a time when it will be included in the city limits. That means additional restrictions on development to provide for eventual extension of the city’s infrastructure: roads and utility service.

Although the new growth boundaries foresee the city growing in every direction, the major focus of discussions is on the area that stretches well south of the Wakarusa River. County officials agreed this week to accept the new boundaries if city officials would commit to building a new wastewater treatment plant to serve the area south of the river. The plant would be necessary for the area to actually develop, and county officials contended that property owners shouldn’t be subjected to new planning requirements unless the plant was built to clear the way to extend city sewer service for future development.

City officials plan to take action on the plant question later this fall because they see significant southern expansion in Lawrence’s future. Planners say the area south of the river needs to be ready to accommodate as many as 20,000 new residents by 2025.

That’s a lot of people, but people who have watched the growth of Lawrence over the past 20 years probably find that prediction plausible. Lawrence is growing; there’s no doubt. City and county commissioners are right to try to get out in front of that growth with planning that helps the city grow in a logical and positive way and is fair to longtime property owners in the areas where Lawrence is expected to expand.