Shady deal

To the editor:

The city’s planning staff made arbitrary, unreasonable and capricious quasi-judicial decisions regarding the school district’s two special use permits for five sports facilities at Lawrence High School and Lawrence Virtual School. They defined general public and instructional (GRI) use as active recreation, rather than entertainment and spectator sports, even as they admitted that “spectators are anticipated.” Thus, commissioners violated the Institutional Development Plan 20-1307(v): “Sports fields and other large traffic generation activities shall be located on the site furthest away from RS zoned areas and designed to reduce noise or light pollution from creating negative impacts on the adjacent neighborhood(s).”

When approving both permits on Sept. 16, commissioners added a future operating agreement between Parks and Recreation and the school district regarding maximum levels of activity at these sites. In October, they amended GPI codes by allowing accessory uses of accessory structures of school buildings for active recreation in which two or more institutions may enter into a partnership to utilize these sites. Yet this partnership had already been discussed at a private Aug. 13 study session between the Planning Commission and the Parks and Rec Advisory Board (including Tom Bracciano from the district) — before its Aug. 27 approval of these permits.

Before these sites are used each day and night over seven months annually near homes and a church, Centennial neighbors are seeking legal recourse. We urge taxpayers, prohibited from voting on 10 additional competition sports complexes, to speak out publicly and vote accordingly in future elections.

Bob Blank,
Lawrence