photo by: Nick Krug

Queens Road north of West Sixth Street is shown in this file photo from April 2017.

City leaders would like to increase the number of properties that will pay a share of the $5.3 million reconstruction of Queens Road.

At its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission voted unanimously to direct city staff to research whether the city could expand the boundary of the benefit district. The expansion would bring several additional properties into the district, including the Walmart property, the Hunters’ Ridge apartment complex and the city-owned property that is to be the future site of the police headquarters.

Commissioners heard comments from more than a dozen residents in the benefit district, many of whom questioned the fairness of the boundaries and how the costs were spread across the district. Commissioners also questioned city staff about why certain properties were not included in the district and ultimately directed city staff to research whether the city could legally expand the district’s boundary. Specifically, the commission suggested expanding the district to encompass an area bounded by Sixth Street, Overland Drive and Stoneridge Drive; the city-owned property at 5100 Overland Drive; and properties on Dole Drive, Inge Court, Earhart Circle and Landon Court.

The benefit district will pay for improvements to Queens Road and its intersection with West Sixth Street. The benefit district was agreed to years ago, but last year neighborhood representatives requested that city leaders reconsider the benefit district and how costs are assessed. There are dozens of properties in the benefit district, and the assessments for the district would be calculated based on each property’s square footage.

Prior to Tuesday’s meeting, staff had recommended proceeding with the formation of the benefit district, with the city covering the $350,000 cost of adding bike lanes and a multi-use path along the road, according to a city staff memo to the commission. More than 90 percent of the $5.3 million to reconstruct the road and add a traffic signal at its intersection with West Sixth Street would be charged to property owners in the benefit districts.

City Attorney Toni Wheeler told the commission that legal counsel said the current boundaries comply with state law and case law, but that staff can evaluate the proposed expansion as well and bring that back to the commission.