Try finding this scenario in Lawrence: In a new neighborhood, a four-plex apartment building gets built right next door to a $400,000 home.

It’s the type of scenario for planners and neighbors that produces more red flags than the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot on game day. In Lawrence, the long-standing rule is that homes and apartments mix about as well as oil and water.

That may be changing.

The concept of New Urbanism – a new way of designing old-style neighborhoods and communities – is beginning to seep its way into City Hall. City Commissioner Sue Hack has seen the vision.

“Imagine if you could design a neighborhood so a young married couple could come into the neighborhood and buy a home, and then when they have a family, there will be a larger house in the same neighborhood that they can move up to,” Hack said. “And when the kids are gone and they are retired, there will be a condo or some type of retirement home for them in the same neighborhood.

“You could really sustain a neighborhood that way. Think how wonderful that would be.”

Everything old is new again

Sustaining neighborhoods, making communities more pedestrian-friendly and fostering diversity are all common themes in the New Urbanism movement.

The blueprint that New Urbanists use is one largely from years gone by. Michael Treanor, a Lawrence architect who is a fan of the concept, said areas like East Lawrence, Old West Lawrence and downtown already have many New Urbanism elements.

The above sketch by Treanor Architects incorporates some themes of New Urbanism: mixed uses, neighborhood shopping, traditional streets and strict design standards.

“What we did 150 years ago, making Mass Street 100 feet wide, side streets 80 feet wide and having a mix of uses … is a pretty tried and true method. That is how all of our cities used to develop,” he said.

Not even New Urbanists entirely agree on what elements give a neighborhood the title of New Urbanism, but there are several common themes. Among them:

¢ Mixed uses. There wouldn’t be block after block of duplexes that then turn into block after block of starter homes that then turn into block after block of estate-style homes. Instead, duplexes, single-family homes and even some small-scale apartments or condos would be interspersed throughout a neighborhood.

¢ Neighborhood shopping. Most homes would be within walking distance of a small retail center that would have typical neighborhood services ranging from a deli to dry cleaners.

¢ Traditional streets. Cul-de-sacs aren’t usually part of a New Urbanism development. Instead, a traditional square grid of streets are often the norm. Many times, streets are narrower and on-street parking also is utilized.

¢ Design standards. Buildings often must meet strict design guidelines to ensure the mix of uses are compatible. For residential buildings, alleys often are used to access parking that is in the rear of the property. Many times, detached garages with small “mother-in law suites” located above them are used. For commercial buildings, they typically have more of a downtown building feel with an emphasis on pedestrian access and parking lots located behind buildings.

Only an option

Hack has been intensely studying New Urbanism ever since the city hosted a conference on the subject in February. She went to a national New Urbanism conference in June in Pasadena, Calif. This week, she traveled to St. Charles, Mo., to see how that town has used New Urbanism in its development. She plans a trip next month to a New Urbanism development at the former Stapleton Airport in Denver.

• Proposal may set city’s look for future (08-08-05)

The idea has been discussed by other community leaders, too. Mayor Boog Highberger has frequently mentioned the benefits that New Urbanism development could have for the community.

All the talk in City Hall may lead to action. Hack is part of a group that includes planning commissioners, developers and neighborhood representatives who have been meeting twice a month to discuss how New Urbanism might be included in Lawrence’s future.

Hack said in the next couple of months she would like the city to hire a consultant that could help the city craft a set of codes to allow New Urbanism development. Hack said she ultimately would like the city to find a private developer who would agree to develop a large chunk of land – more than 100 acres – in a New Urbanism style.

But Hack said the planning group isn’t trying to force the concept on the community. She said a set of New Urbanism codes would be in addition to more standard development codes that allow for traditional, suburban-style neighborhoods and shopping centers.

Michael Treanor, a Lawrence architect who is a fan of the New Urbanism concept, said areas like East Lawrence, Old West Lawrence and downtown already have many New Urbanism elements. Treanor is pictured behind Owens Flower Shop, 836 Ind.

“All we’re saying is it should be an option,” Hack said. “If someone wanted to try this right now, it would be illegal. Our codes don’t allow it.

“We realize we have to have as much communication upfront as possible. It can’t be a concept that people feel is being shoved down their throats.”

Suburbs still loved

That makes Bryan Hedges, president of Realty Executives/Hedges Real Estate, feel better. He said he didn’t object to the New Urbanism concept as long as city officials didn’t make it mandatory for all new developments. He said individuals still should be allowed to choose the suburban style of life.

“I’m definitely not hearing buyers saying they want to live next to a four-plex or want to live in a mixed-use environment,” Hedges said. “I still hear a lot of people who are looking to live on a cul-de-sac. A family with kids running around and riding bikes and trikes really likes the cul-de-sacs.”

Hack said she was sensitive to those concerns. She said the New Urbanism movement in some communities had turned into a debate that tried to portray one type of neighborhood as being superior to another.

“We have to be careful to make sure that we’re not saying that the only kind of neighborhoods are the ones like Old West Lawrence. That’s not true,” said Hack, who lives in a traditional suburban neighborhood in West Lawrence. “We have cul-de-sacs in my neighborhood, and half the time we’re sitting in the middle of one watching the kids ride their bikes. We know each other.”

But Treanor is confident that there are a significant number of people who would like to leave the suburban lifestyle behind for a more urban feel. In fact, he’s betting on it. Treanor is part of a group planning for a new development on 43 acres north of Sixth Street between Wakarusa Drive and Folks Road.

The development will have many New Urbanism traits, including alleys, homes closer to the street, garages with upstairs apartments and 62,000 square feet of neighborhood commercial space. The project even hopes to have a significant cultural center. The development is working with the Lawrence Community Theatre to locate at the site.

The project currently is trying to work its way through the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Department. It will have to receive many variances since the city’s current code doesn’t allow many New Urbanism elements.

But Treanor said he believed the project would be well received, if ever approved. He tells a story about how he visited the former Stapleton Airport in Denver and talked to residents who were loving the New Urbanism development. In one instance, upper-end homes were right across the street from affordable housing units.

“I asked the guy if it bothered him that those guys were right across the street from him,” Treanor recounts. “He said that was what Stapleton was all about. It is about the diversity.

“I think that is what is appealing about these projects. You don’t just get that one strata. You get a mix, and the bigger the mix, the more livelier it is.”