Planning for the intersection of Sixth Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway is going to get the extra scrutiny that a major gateway into Lawrence deserves, Lawrence-Douglas County planning commissioners decided Wednesday.

The commission delayed approval of a “nodal plan” to guide development at the 640-acre intersection, saying it wants more specifics to ensure the corridor gives visitors a good impression of the city.

“This is going to be a major entryway into the city. How are we going to make this a major entryway?” Commissioner Bonnie Johnson said. “What are we going to do so that people drive by and say, ‘Ooh. That’s Lawrence?'”

Commissioners told planning staffers to return with added details, including:

l Design guidelines that will govern the look of buildings and landscaping at the intersection.

“We don’t want this to develop like North Second Street,” said Commissioner Myles Schachter, referring to another entryway corridor in North Lawrence. “That hasn’t developed in an aesthetically pleasing, comprehensive way.”

l Precise allocation of commercial space at the intersection, which Schachter said should be capped at 450,000 square feet, the maximum allowed for a “community commercial center” under Horizon 2020, the city-county long-range plan.

The plan considered by commissioners Wednesday split commercial footage between the two eastern corners of the intersection, but didn’t say how much each would get.

“I think we would be well-served knowing where the commercial space would be located before any zoning application is approved,” Commissioner John Haase said.

¢ 6News video: Development plan at 6th and SLT delayed¢ Sixth St. and SLT pegged as latest ‘gateway’ (6-14-03)¢ 6News video: City planners want to guide development¢ Nodal plan for intersection of 6th Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway (pdf document)

Brian Kubota’s request to rezone 67 acres on the intersection’s southeast corner was approved by the Planning Commission in November — but was derailed by the Lawrence City Commission’s decision to seek a plan for the entire intersection. He has bemoaned the delays, but on Wednesday Kubota sounded resigned to the latest holdup.

“It is a major entryway to the city,” he said. “It should be accomplished in a manner that the Planning Commission and the city get what they want in a positive manner.”

Kubota and officials of Classic Real Estate, developer of the northeast corner, said they would accept design guidelines. Both expressed concerns about a 450,000-square-foot cap on commercial space at the intersection.

“We believe that … may be too restrictive for long-range planning at this node,” said Lawrence attorney Dan Watkins, a Classic Real Estate representative.

Planning commissioners unanimously agreed to send the plan back to staff for more work. They did not say when that work would be complete.