PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT SUMMARY

REGULAR AGENDA - NON-PUBLIC HEARING ITEM

PC Staff Report

12/17/07

ITEM NO. 4A: ANNEXATION OF 81.13 ACRES; QUEENS RD & WAKARUSA DR (MKM)

SUMMARY

A-11-07-07: Annexation of approximately 81.13 acres located at the intersection of Queens Road & Wakarusa Drive. Submitted by JEO Consulting Group, Inc. for Lindsey Management Co., Inc., contract purchaser, and Turner Douglas LLC et al, property owner of record.

1. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the requested annexation of approximately 81.13 acres located at the intersection of Queens Road and Wakarusa Drive and forwarding it to the City Commission with a recommendation for approval based on the findings found in the body of the staff report.

Applicant’s Reason for Request:	“Development of 81.13 acres currently zoned Ag to allow for multi-family apartment complex (480 units) with a private golf course open to the public.”
KEY POINTS · Subject property is located within Service Area 2 of the Urban Growth Area. · Request is accompanied by rezoning applications and a preliminary development plan.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN CONSIDERATION · Extension of public facilities and services are required and are planned to serve this property, which is located in Service Area 2 of the Urban Growth Area. · The proposal is compliant with the Comprehensive Plan.
ASSOCIATED CASES/OTHER ACTION REQUIRED ANNEXATION City Commission acceptance of annexation and publication of ordinance. REZONINGS Rezoning Requests [Z-11-28A-07: A to RM12, and Z-11-28B-07: A to RM12-PD]; also being considered at the December Planning Commission meeting. City Commission approval of rezoning requests and publication of ordinances. DEVELOPMENT PLANS Preliminary Development Plan [PDP-11-06-07], The Links at Lawrence, also being considered at the December Planning Commission meeting. City Commission acceptance of dedication of rights-of-way and easements as shown in the Preliminary Development Plan. Submittal, administrative approval and recording of a Final Development Plan. PLATTING Submittal, administrative approval and recording of a Final Plat. Submission of Public Improvement Plans to City Public Works Department and Utilities Department prior to recordation of the final plat. Written certification from the City Engineer that all required public improvements have been completed or one of the means of ensuring completion of required public improvements listed in Section 20-811(h)(2) of the City/County Subdivision Regulations.
PUBLIC COMMENT RECEIVED PRIOR TO PRINTING · No public comment was received in the Planning Office prior to printing this report.

GENERAL INFORMATION
Current Zoning and Land Use:	A (Agricultural) District; Agricultural uses and woodland.
Surrounding Zoning and Land Use:	To the south: RM12D (Multi-dwelling Residential) District, RS7 (Single-dwelling Residential) District; Platted as the Oregon Trail Addition, not yet developed UR (Urban Reserve); unplatted property within City limits with agricultural uses and wooded areas. To the east: RS7 (Single-dwelling Residential) District; Single-dwelling residences. PRD-Westwood Hills (Planned Residential Development) District; Zoned as part of the Westwood Hills Planned Development, but property has not been platted nor has a Final Development Plan been approved for this portion. Agricultural uses. To the north and west: A (Agricultural) District; Agricultural uses, wooded areas and scattered rural residences.
Site Summary
Gross Area: Gross Area being requested for annexation:		81.31 acres 81.31 acres
Subject property is located within Service Area 2 as defined in Horizon 2020.

STAFF REVIEW

Annexation Procedure and General Location:

The subject property is adjacent to the northern city limits, west of Queens Road. It is generally described as being west of the intersection of Queens Road and Wakarusa Drive. The property is bounded by City property on the south and east, and property outside the city limits on the north and west.

Lawrence City policy requires the Lawrence-Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Commission to review all annexation requests in excess of ten acres. Upon annexation, the property is required to be rezoned to a compatible city classification. Related rezoning requests have been submitted for the property from A (Agricultural) to RM12 (Multi-dwelling Residential) District and RM12-PD (Multi-dwelling Residential Planned Development) Overlay District.

Site Characteristics:

The subject property is bordered on the east by Queens Road and along the south by the Oregon Trails Addition. The extension of George Williams Way will border the property on the west. The property contains heavily wooded areas and areas with steep slopes, primarily on the western half. The eastern half is relatively level and is currently being used for agricultural purposes. (Figures 1 and 2)

Figure 1. Contour map of subject property.

Figure 2. View west of Queens Road and Wakarusa Drive.

Infrastructure and Utility Extension:

Sanitary Sewer: The Department of Utilities currently has a project underway to design and construct the West Baldwin Creek Sanitary Sewer Interceptor from pump station PS45 located along the north edge of the Oregon Trail Addition north and east through the subject property to the recently completed pump station PS48. This project is as recommended in the 2003 Wastewater Master Plan and Northwest Area Update to the Master Plan as part of the required infrastructure to extend sanitary sewer service to the Baldwin Creek Watersheds. The location of this sewer line and easement has been established and final design phase services are being negotiated. This extension of the sanitary sewer system has been designed to accommodate development of the subject tract. Note there is no sanitary sewer service available to this tract until the completion of the West Baldwin Creek Interceptor project, but plans are being implemented which will provide sanitary sewer service. While the development will contain multi-dwelling residential units with the open space proposed for the golf course the resulting density will be similar to that of single-dwelling residential dwellings.

Waterlines: A waterline is located east of Queens road, about 200 ft north of Wakarusa Drive. Waterlines may be extended to serve this property.

Private Utilities: Electric, phone, and gas utilities will have to be extended to this property and easements will be provided with the plat.

Aquilla has a 4” high pressure plastic gas main on the north side of Overland Drive at Queens road and on the south side of Wakarusa Drive at Eisenhower Drive.

Public Right-of-Way: The development is adjacent to Queens Road which is designated as a major collector on the Major Thoroughfares Map. A major collector requires 80’ of right-of-way per Section 20-810(4)(i) of the Subdivision Regulations. The Preliminary Development Plan indicates that 40’ of right-of-way for Queens Road is being dedicated with the development. Wakarusa Drive will be extended through the property but will be renamed due to the directional change of the road. Wakarusa Drive is also designated as a major collector and the Preliminary Development Plan indicates that 80’ of road right-of-way will be dedicated. The Plan also indicates that 60’ of right-of-way is being dedicated for the extension of George Williams Way along the west property line. George Williams Way is designated as a minor arterial on the Major Thoroughfares Map and requires 100 ft of right-of-way. Development must be timed to coincide with the installation of improved City standard streets to provide access to the development.

COMPREHENSIVE PLAN:

The focus of this discussion will be the overall annexation as it relates to growth management and residential development. The subject property is located within Service Area 2 of the Urban Growth Area as shown in Map 3-1 of Horizon 2020. This area is anticipated for development in the future, coincident with the improvements, construction and extension of major utilities and streets.

Several goals and policies are provided in Horizon 2020 related to development timing and are found in Chapter 4, Growth Management. Growth management is defined as the primary tool for ensuring timely and orderly growth. This tool includes specific annexation policies and the establishment of an Urban Growth Area and service delivery areas for the purpose of extending municipal utilities. “The growth management policies seek to ensure that adequate facilities and services are provided or assured in connection with development.” (Horizon 2020, page 4-1). The intent of the Growth Management recommendations is to insure that infrastructure and utility service is available to development and to coordinate development with the timing of improvements. The City Utilities Engineer reviewed the Downstream Sanitary Sewer Analysis and determined that improvements being made to the sanitary sewer system in the area would provide capacity for this development, but noted there is no sanitary sewer service available to this tract until the completion of the West Baldwin Creek Interceptor project.

The City of Lawrence Administrative Annexation Policy (AP-74) requires that the costs associated with compensation to a Rural Water District be made by the applicant for Rural Water District facilities serving the property to be annexed. The Rural Water Districts Map shows this area as being served by RWD#1. Calvin Goins of RWD#1 indicated that the water district has no facilities in this area south or N 1700 Rd; therefore, compensation won’t be necessary.

The Annexation Policies listed on page 4-3 of Horizon 2020 states that Lawrence will actively seek voluntary annexation of land within the UGA as development is proposed and annexation shall be required to develop land which is contiguous to the corporate limits of the city. The subject property is contiguous to the corporate limits of the city on the east and south.

Horizon 2020 discusses Service Area 2 on Page 4-2 and recommends that urban development not be allowed in the Northwest Lawrence area until the City adopts a policy that establishes a process to provide wastewater collection and treatment for the entire Baldwin Creek drainage basin or a phased approach for wastewater collection on a sub-basin approach for this area. The Department of Utilities stated there is currently a project underway to design and construct the West Baldwin Creek Sanitary Sewer Interceptor from pump station PS45 located along the north edge of the Oregon Trail Addition north and east through the subject property to the recently completed pump station PS48. This project is as recommended in the 2003 Wastewater Master Plan and Northwest Area Update to the Master Plan as part of the required infrastructure to extend sanitary sewer service to the Baldwin Creek Watersheds. The location of this sewer line and easement has been established and final design phase services are being negotiated. This extension of the sanitary sewer system has been designed to accommodate development of the subject tract. Note there is no sanitary sewer service available to this tract until the completion of the West Baldwin Creek Interceptor project.

Chapter Five – Residential Land Use, of Horizon 2020 (page 5-1) recommends that requests for annexation shall be consistent with approved watershed/sub-basin, sector, neighborhood, nodal, corridor, specific issue/district plans. The Northwest Plan, approved by the City Commission in 1997,recommends single-family dwellings for this area. The applicant is proposing low density residential development, although clustered in multi-dwellings. As the density being proposed is similar to density of single-family dwellings the request is generally compliant with recommendations in the Northwest Plan.

The proposal complies with Horizon 2020 Growth Management recommendations and annexation policies.

Design and land use criteria are considered and discussed in the related rezoning requests and Preliminary Development Plan.

SUMMARY OF LAND USE AND REQUEST:

Annexation is being requested to allow the development of low-density dwelling units with a golf course and protected wooded areas. A portion of the subject property is undeveloped woodland and the eastern portion is in agricultural production. The property is zoned A (Agricultural) District. Agricultural land uses, which include farm residences, are permitted in these districts.

The property contains a stream, a large wooded area and steep slopes. The development is proposed as a Planned Development to protect the environmentally sensitive features on the property. Rezoning requests to the RM12 (Multi-dwelling Residential) District and the RM12-PD (Multi-dwelling Residential Planned Development) Overlay District have been submitted for this property.

The Rural Water District serving this area has no facilities on the property, so compensation will not be necessary. The Utilities Department has developed and is implementing a plan which will provide sanitary sewer service for the entire Baldwin Creek Drainage Area, as recommended in H2020. The development of the property must be timed to coordinate with the completion of the sanitary sewer infrastructure improvements and with the installation of City standards roads to access the development. The applicant must work with the City Engineer to determine the time frame for the future improvements to Queens Road and to the extension of George Williams Way.