Planning commissioners are asking for the Lawrence City Commission’s guidance on a proposed affordable housing development west of Lawrence.

Developers with Windover Community asked the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission to annex 54 acres of land north of Clinton Lake, to make way for a 250-unit development they said would be affordable for police officers, teachers, nurses and other modest-wage workers.

“We’re here because there’s a documented need for affordable housing,” said Mark White, an attorney for the developers. “We provide affordable housing in this project.”

But planning commissioners were reluctant, saying the broader neighborhood — northwest of Clinton Parkway and Kansas Highway 10 — needs to be planned before any development can move forward.

“If they buy these houses, they have to know what’s across the fence, or there’ll be a fuss as sure as you’re sitting here,” Commissioner Tom Jennings said.

One possible option: The developers could hire, at their own expense, an outside consultant to come up with an expedited “area plan” that would be approved by City Hall before construction could proceed. The city’s planners are considered too overloaded with other projects to come up with a plan on a quick timetable.

Developers Craig White and Bob Voth said they would be willing to pay for that consultant, provided the plan was completed within six months. An estimated cost for consulting was unknown Wednesday.

Rather than make such a decision to create the unusual process, however, planning commissioners voted to send the matter to the City Commission for “special consideration.”

But too much delay, developers said, would scuttle their ability to provide affordable housing.

“You lose the opportunity for affordable housing on this site if you delay this project for an area plan,” White said.

City planning staffers had recommended against annexation and rezoning of the land for the project. The property is within Lawrence’s urban growth area, but in a neighborhood not expected to receive city services for a number of years.

“From staff’s perspective, it’s an intriguing request, but it’s premature for us,” said Sandra Day, a city planner.

White said federal standards set the price of “modest” housing in Lawrence at $172,000. Prices in the development — a mixture of duplex and single-family homes — would be roughly $100,000 for the duplexes and $170,000 for the bigger homes.

Planning commissioners said they liked the project, but didn’t want to bypass normal planning processes. The proposal goes to the City Commission within the next few weeks.