If the Lawrence City Commission approves a development plan Tuesday night for an area northwest of town, the issue will then go before the Douglas County Commission.

And the sooner the better, according to county Commissioner Bob Johnson.

Not so fast, Commissioner Charles Jones said.

During Monday’s county meeting Johnson said he wanted to handle the matter while he is still on the commission. By Jan. 12, Johnson and Commissioner Jere McElhaney, who didn’t see re-election, will leave the commission. They will be replaced by Nancy Thellman and Jim Flory.

Johnson received a request to get the issue before the current commission. The request came from Jane Eldridge, an attorney representing a group that wants to develop nearly 155 acres along the Farmer’s Turnpike. The property is in a sector plan area, which covers 3,500 acres. A sector plan spells out how an area should be developed and the city will discuss the plan at Tuesday night’s city meeting. If approved by the city, it goes to the county for approval.

The city voted to rezone the 155 acres earlier this year and annex it. The county, in a 2-1 vote, approved a document that supports that annexation. Jones was the dissenting vote.

Jones on Monday noted that city-county planning director Scott McCullough wrote in an e-mail to County Administrator Craig Weinuag that his department would not be ready to present the sector plan to the county on Dec. 22, which likely will be the final time the current commission meets.

Ron Schneider, an attorney who represents a neighborhood group that opposes a proposed industrial park development on the 155 acres, said there should be no rush to get the sector plan before the county commission. Schneider also is challenging the city’s and county’s actions in court.

“This is an issue that requires the participation of hundreds of people and to put it on (the agenda) two days before Christmas, I think, is unbelievable,” Schneider said.

Schneider also said the sector plan has been pushed toward completion faster than normal, maintaining that large sector plans generally take one to two years, rather than six to eight months.

McElhaney left Monday’s meeting early to attend a funeral and wasn’t present for the discussion between Jones and Johnson.