Residents brainstorm about city growth ideas / LJWorld.com

Archive for Thursday, February 1, 2007

February 1, 2007

Count John Kiefer among the skeptics of an effort unfolding this week to zero in on a handful of areas around Lawrence and create a vision for the future that will bring back the pedestrian-friendly, neighborhood feeling of yesteryear.

"I think there's some good ideas. I think their goals are good," Kiefer said Wednesday night at City Hall. "They need to look at areas that are failing, not that are successful."

Kiefer owns much of the land near 25th and Iowa streets. It's one of six areas city leaders have chosen for scrutiny this week as a team of planning consultants visit town seeking the community's input on a "smart code," which is essentially a set of building rules that developers can elect to use instead of the city's standard zoning code.

The idea is that if the city offers incentives for developers to follow the "smart" code, they'll opt to create pleasant, walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods - think connecting streets instead of cul-de-sacs - that future generations will want to preserve decades from now.

Kiefer was one of about 90 people who attended a public forum Wednesday night, the first day of a weeklong community dialogue about the proposed code. From now until Tuesday, the team of consultants will be here meeting with leaders and allowing members of the public to drop by and see what they're drafting.

"This code is only as good as you make it," Susan Henderson, the project principal for PlaceMakers consulting company, told the crowd on Wednesday. "If you're not involved, basically it's generic."

At Wednesday's event, people split into groups to brainstorm about what they like and what they'd like to see improved about the places being studied: the shopping center at 19th Street and Haskell Avenue; the Malls Shopping Center at 23rd and Louisiana streets; the development on the west side of Iowa Street between 25th Street and Clinton Parkway; downtown; and two rural areas outside the city limits - one west of the South Lawrence Trafficway and one south of the Wakarusa River.

Those who discussed downtown, for example, said it could use a grocery store and might play up its historic significance more. Planners asked who comes downtown and why.

"There's kind of an illusion of it being a mom-and-pop territory," said Phil Collison, president of the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association. "It's getting harder for mom-and-pops to be there."

Local residents brave the elements to give their input on city growth

A week-long workshop began tonight at City Hall to establish ways to build more traditional neighborhoods throughout Lawrence. Enlarge video

A common question about the code is whether the planners envision these outlying developments eventually being clones of downtown.

"We will not replicate the intensity of downtown anywhere," Henderson said.

Another question is whether the rules eventually could be made mandatory. Henderson said the rules can stand by themselves but that usually the group recommends that city leaders make them mandatory only for newly annexed areas.

Kiefer spoke up during the meeting to say that he doesn't see the area at 25th and Iowa being redeveloped to be oriented to walk-in business. For one thing, his business at Kief's Audio & Video, 2429 Iowa, is moving more toward mail order and Internet sales.

Smaller shops mean more overhead costs for buildings, which means higher rent, he said.

"To try to make little blocks of downtown all over the city... I can't think of anybody that would pay rent," he said. "I have no interest in doing it."

The consultants will have a drop-in open house from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. today at Spring Hill Suites, 1 Riverfront Plaza. More information is available online at www.lawrenceks.org.

Discussion

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1 February 2007
at 9:59 a.m.

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Slav (Anonymous) says…

That's the future? The past is our future? As a Lawrence resident I'm starting to get the feeling that we are all f*cked.

I hope you like pot holes, 2 lane traffic arteries, and long lines at stop signs, because yesteryear's responsible for all of it.
1 February 2007
at 11:28 a.m.

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merrill (Anonymous) says…

So far SmartCode is promoting mixed use neighborhoods throughout Lawrence and downtown investment. However it does have some areas that will need tweaked at the administrative end to prevent runaway development that would likely continue to increase our inflated property taxes. Mixed use neighborhoods make sense so long as the commercial aspects are practical.

We do not need a return of the development community controlling all facets growth planning. They forgot jobs and balanced growth at a slower pace which consequently has produced a higher cost of living and a bedroom community.

Smart Code design concepts are pretty cool but would require a tremendous amount of discipline from the real estate/development industry. The Smart Code team is dedicating a lot hands on hours in our fair city.
1 February 2007
at 12:04 p.m.

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Godot (Anonymous) says…

“The Smart Code team is dedicating a lot hands on hours in our fair city.”

This is the group that is being paid $250,000, right?
1 February 2007
at 12:22 p.m.

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Slav (Anonymous) says…

There goes a recycling program and a stop light at 23rd and Tennessee. They could even squeeze in a sidewalk for Tennessee if they started budgeting reasonably.
1 February 2007
at 6:33 p.m.

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Slav (Anonymous) says…

“I'm a consultant.”
Sorry, you're over qualified.
7 October 2007
at 2:06 p.m.

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erod0723 (Anonymous) says…

“There goes a recycling program and a stop light at 23rd and Tennessee. They could even squeeze in a sidewalk for Tennessee if they started budgeting reasonably.”

We do NOT need a traffic light at 23rd and Tenn. All this will do is make traffic at that corner even worse.
7 October 2007
at 4:01 p.m.

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cowboy (Anonymous) says…

Get down with OPP , yeah you know me

Other peoples property !

We spent 250,000 to come up with ideas what to do with other peoples property . How fing dumb is that ?