To the editor:

Cultural heritage and authenticity are some of the attributes of a historic neighborhood. The review standards for a city historic district/environs review include a requirement that the character of historic environs be maintained. New uses are required to make minimal change upon the spatial relationships of the historic district. New infill construction within historic environs is required to be compatible with the size, scale, proportion and massing of the environs.

Overland Park has a form-based code for infill additions in its downtown that is used to moderate radical changes in the height or mass of new projects. These kinds of code requirements should be implemented here to preserve the original mercantile character of downtown Lawrence. These kinds of code requirements are not “bell-jar” type preservation but rather appropriate regulations to avoid spot zoning changes at particular locations where corner lots in effect act as signposts in changing the whole shape of a neighborhood.

Denver, Boulder and San Diego all have solar access easements for residential neighborhoods that protect a residence from shadowing effects of neighbors that might restrict access to renewable energy by future projects.

Let’s require significant projects to conform to better design requirements for historic districts as the Lawrence Preservation Alliance and the city’s own Historic Resource Commission have recommended.