photo by: Mike Yoder

The construction of a home on a 25-foot-wide property at 437 Elm St., at left, has raised the issue of stormwater runoff in North Lawrence. With little yard to absorb storm water, the neighbors at 439 Elm St., at right, say they have been adversely affected. The Lawrence City Commission approved a provision requiring developers to undergo a stormwater assessment of property before building.

Those building homes on small lots in North Lawrence will be required to pay for drainage plans before construction can begin, the City Commission voted Tuesday.

At the request of the North Lawrence Improvement Association and its president, Ted Boyle, city staff has spent months reviewing how residential development on smaller-than-normal lots in the past decade has affected stormwater management. City commissioners received the results of that review Tuesday, along with recommendations about what the city should do about it.

Commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the requirement of a drainage plan — something backed by both Boyle and city staff — but they delayed a decision on whether to alter how much of the smaller properties can be covered with impervious structures. Commissioner Stuart Boley was absent from Tuesday’s meeting.

“I’ve been up here advocating for this for the past 20-plus years,” Boyle said. “Developers can come in and slam a bunch of houses, and don’t care about the drainage, don’t care about the neighborhood. It’s our responsibility and the city’s responsibility to protect established residents.”

The city created zoning designations in 2006 to allow lot sizes of 3,000 and 5,000 square feet — smaller than the then-minimum of 7,000 square feet.

Matt Bond, the city’s stormwater engineer, described North Lawrence as a “pool table,” saying the smaller lots and increased density on the flat surface have pushed water into neighboring properties.

The drainage plans, if created by an engineer, will cost between $1,500 and $3,000. There are currently 14 to 17 lots in North Lawrence that are 5,000 square feet and could be developed. Details about the requirement for a drainage plan will come back to the City Commission for a final vote.

“I think it’s a good attempt, even though there’s only 17 lots left that would require that provision for a drainage plan,” City Manager Tom Markus said. “It’s an attempt to try to deal with that before the house is built, the problem is created — then, you’re going in reverse.”

Concerns about creating nonconforming properties throughout the city stopped commissioners from voting Tuesday to change standards for how much of the 3,000 and 5,000 square foot lots can be covered. They also didn’t take a position on Boyle’s request to eliminate the option for 3,000-square-foot lots altogether. Currently, there are none in the city.

Boyle said the designation allows homebuilders the option to split 7,000-square-foot properties into two 3,000-square-foot lots, an action he thinks would create stormwater issues.

Vice Mayor Leslie Soden said she would want any restrictions on the smaller lots to apply throughout Lawrence, and not be limited only to North Lawrence. City staff is in discussions about establishing zoning for 5,000-square-foot lots in East Lawrence, where Soden said she was concerned about density and property owners building too close to lot lines.

Commissioners directed McCullough to do a more in-depth review of how a change to lot coverage regulations could affect properties that are 5,000 square feet and contain existing homes.

In other business:

• Commissioners voted 4-0 to adopt a resolution recognizing Indigenous Peoples Day on the second Monday of every October, every year going forward. Commissioners agreed to request the Lawrence school district add “Indigenous Peoples Day” to school calendars.

• Commissioners Lisa Larsen and Matthew Herbert said they would have a decision ready at next Tuesday’s meeting on whether current Mayor Mike Amyx or Soden will be mayor for the remainder of 2016. Herbert and Larsen will also recommend to the entire commission whether mayors should continue to be elected every April, or, because of statewide changes to municipal elections, the mayor should be named every January.