photo by: City of Lawrence

An image from a planning department report shows the conceptual layout for a proposed 61-acre annexation. The proposed annexation is outlined in black and contains three parcels designated for homes, open space and a school.

City of Lawrence leaders will soon consider a request to expand the city’s boundaries to encompass about 60 acres in northwest Lawrence for the purposes of a residential development.

As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider a request submitted by BG Consultants Inc. on behalf of Williams Management LLC to annex three parcels east of 1760 East 1100 Road, according to a city staff memo to the commission. The three parcels, which make up about 61 acres total, are on the north edge of the current city limits.

Currently the 61 acres are zoned as cluster preservation, and the annexation request is also accompanied by three related rezoning requests. The developer is requesting to rezone about 41 acres to single-dwelling residential to accommodate a new neighborhood. Medium density residential, or RS5 zoning, is proposed.

The two other rezoning requests are for adjoining 12.2- and 8-acre parcels. The 12.2-acre parcel includes stands of mature trees, and the developer is requesting to rezone the area to open space, which would preserve the trees and natural space, according to the planning report. The 8-acre parcel is proposed for development of an elementary school within the Perry/Lecompton school district, and the developer is requesting it be rezoned to general public and institutional use.

The land is in the city’s second growth tier, and the Lawrence-Douglas County comprehensive plan, Plan 2040, calls for annexations in that area to provide a community benefit. The memo notes that the annexation would provide benefits in the form of land for a public school and preservation of environmentally sensitive lands. The Planning Commission previously voted 5-1 to forward the annexation request and the three rezoning requests to the City Commission with a recommendation for approval. Planners did receive some correspondences from neighbors opposing the request, citing concerns such as increased traffic and other disruption.

Cluster Preservation is a zoning district that typically allows for rural residential development, but the comprehensive plan requires land within the second growth tier to annex prior to development, and the County Commission revised its subdivision regulations in September 2021 to prohibit new residential subdivisions in the second growth tier. As a result, the memo states annexation and rezoning are required prior to any development on the property.

The comprehensive plan prioritizes infill development, or development of land already within the city’s boundaries, because existing infrastructure makes infill the most cost-efficient way for the city to develop. The memo notes that the land in question borders the city on two sides, and city services and utilities are readily available and would be extended into the subdivision as part of the platting process.

In other business, the commission will:

• Consider a request from DCCCA Inc. for a sales tax exemption on $7.9 million in construction materials for building a new outpatient facility that will provide a variety of community health services at 1739 E. 23rd St.

• Consider a modification to the final development plan for The Jayhawk Club, 1610 Birdie Way, for an area on the east side of the roadway. The original development plan called for detached dwellings for “independent and assisted living” and a storage building in that area, and the developer is requesting instead to build apartments. Specifically, the request is to build a multidwelling residential development that includes 11 buildings and 132 units.

•Receive a presentation from the Lawrence Community Shelter and consider approving the shelter’s remaining $145,000 funding request for 2022. The commission approved a $290,000 allocation for the shelter as part of its budget process, but commissioners previously asked for a more specific funding agreement and a report from the shelter before disbursing the two installments of the funds. The shelter has been operating significantly below its capacity since 2019. The city approved to disburse the first half in March, and asked for an operational report from the shelter before disbursing the second half.

The Lawrence City Commission will convene at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.