Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Planning & Development Services

TO:	David L. Corliss, City Manager
FROM:	Scott McCullough, Director
CC:	Cynthia Boecker, Assistant City Manager Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
Date:	For July 7, 2009 City Commission meeting
RE:	Text Amendment Update and Initiation

Planning and Development Services staff and the Planning Commission (PC) continue to review and recommend revisions to the Development Code to seek efficiencies for the development community while maintaining the public’s health and safety. The attached document has been used by Staff and the Planning Commission to track revisions to the code. Several revisions are underway and others are added as they are observed by staff, the Commissions, and the public.

Two additions are noted in the document from when the PC last reviewed it – (1) revisions to exempt certain projects in the CD, Downtown Commercial District, from site planning requirements, and (2) to revise certain requirements in Article 13 Development Review Procedures related to Major, Standard, and Minor Development Projects.

These revisions address a recognized need to streamline the process for changes of use and tenant finish projects in the downtown area where no building additions are proposed and to review the thresholds for when an existing development outside of the downtown district would be required to fully comply with the code for a building addition, change in use, or redevelopment project.

Staff would normally request that the Planning Commission initiate these amendments; however, staff would rather have these amendments initiated sooner than the PC’s July meeting to expedite their processing. A public hearing at the Planning Commission will be required to process these amendments.

Action requested: Initiate text amendments to the Land Development Code, Chapter 20 – Code of the City of Lawrence, Kansas to (1) exempt certain projects in the CD, Downtown Commercial District, from site planning requirements, and (2) revise certain requirements in Article 13 Development Review Procedures related to Major, Standard, and Minor Development Projects.