The green debate wasn’t all rosy at City Hall on Tuesday.

Lawrence city commissioners and Douglas County commissioners were divided Tuesday on a proposal to add new environmental policies to the city and county’s planning process.

On one hand, some commissioners worried that the new proposal might add a significant layer of red tape to development proposals.

“Does this send potentially a negative image for companies that are out there looking?” City Commissioner Lance Johnson asked. “Is this the time to really dig in and put more regulations in place? I don’t really understand why we need to do this now.”

But some commissioners said they saw the proposed changes to Horizon 2020 — the city and county’s comprehensive plan — as an opportunity.

“I think there is a level of acknowledgment that we’re in a changing world and we have to take care of what we have,” said County Commissioner Nancy Thellman. “That requires us to plan and not just be haphazard about it. I think there is a very positive side to it.”

The new Environmental Chapter to Horizon 2020 would create several policies that could lead to new environmental regulations in the future. Among the items the plan calls for are to:

• Establish a new countywide drainage plan to better manage stormwater flooding.

• Develop regulations and incentives to provide various levels of protection for major woodland areas.

• Adopt an urban forestry master plan to better manage woodland areas that are inside the city limits.

• Create regulations and incentives for protection of native prairies.

• Develop a community process to define important “viewsheds” that may be worthy of protection from future development.

• Create new tools to help protect high-quality agricultural ground.

• Develop transportation design standards that encourage alternative forms of transportation.

City and county commissioners at their Tuesday afternoon study session did not take any action on the proposal. Instead, staff members were directed to examine ways to modify the language of the proposal to make it less intimidating to companies that may be looking to develop in Lawrence and the county.

City Commissioner Mike Dever said he wanted the document to include more references to incentives that would be offered to developers and landowners who make their projects more environmentally-friendly.

“Before any of this goes into place, you have to have incentives that go into effect with the regulations,” Dever said. “Otherwise, I don’t think this will fly.”

In other business at the joint study session, city and county commissioners discussed a proposed land use plan for the Grant Township area north of the Kansas River.

The Northeast Sector Plan, as it is called, spells out how development should occur near the Lawrence Municipal Airport and in other areas outside of North Lawrence.

Commissioners indicated that they’ll want to look closely at the portion of the plan that calls for area north of Interstate 70 but south of U.S. Highway 24-40 to become industrial property. Several neighbors have argued that the property is prime farmland that should be protected. Developers and several area farmers, though, have argued the land is prime industrial ground because of its access to I-70 and the nearby airport.

Both the Environmental Chapter and the Northeast Area Plan will have formal hearings at the city and county commissions before they are finalized. Dates for those hearings haven’t been set, but they likely will be after the April city commission elections.