To the editor:

This letter is in response to a recent action of the City Commission in which, in a historic vote, it denied a landmark designation for a local church. As the one who initiated this action on behalf of First Presbyterian Church (FPC), I would like to respond with some background facts to show how misguided this vote was.

First, the designation requested for the property containing FPC had already been approved by the state, the federal government, the Lawrence city staff and the city historic commission. Second, no designation has ever been denied before in Lawrence, whether for another church (there are a number) or other properties. Third, while the designation affected five adjoining landowners, compared to other properties already designated (e.g., downtown) that is much less.

So, why was it done? While the level of discussion at the commission was frankly minimal, it appeared that the cause of the denial was the size of the church’s lot, the unspoken subtext being if only the building was named, approval would have followed. To be clear, there is no precedent for this kind of denial.

While I have lived in Lawrence for over 50 years, I still forget how unique this city is. Sometimes that’s good, sometimes it’s not. One thing I do know: FPC was the first historic designation sought west of Iowa. If the new standard is that lots of any significant size are deemed “too big,” then the ordinance should be changed to say so.

Jeff Southard,

Lawrence