Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Planning and Development Services

TO:	Thomas M. Markus, City Manager
FROM:	Sandra Day, Planner II
CC:	Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager Scott McCullough, Director of Planning and Development Services
DATE:	May 2, 2016
RE:	Consider a request to rezone, Z-16-00026, approximately 14.2 acres from RM24-PD (Multi-Dwelling Residential with Planned Development Overlay) District to RMO-PD (Multi-Dwelling Residential-Office with Planned Development Overlay) District, located at 1800, 1809, & 2021 Crossgate Drive. This rezoning applies only to Proposed Lot 3 of the Alvamar Planned Development. Submitted by Paul Werner Architects, for Eagle 1968, LC, (contract purchaser). Alvamar Inc. is the property owner of record.

Background

This rezoning application was submitted concurrently with the Preliminary Development Plan for the Alvamar PD to accommodate independent office uses within the Planned Development. If approved, the rezoning would permit a range of office uses within Lot 3 of the proposed development. The office uses would not be permitted within other lots of the development.

Staff reviewed the request against the criteria found in Section 20-1303 of the Development Code and found, among other things, that the proposed office use was not consistent with the purpose and intent of the development and that there remains too much undeveloped property by which to develop a substantial office complex in the future after the zoning is approved by processing a revised preliminary development plan.  Staff recommended that the application be denied.

The Planning Commission considered the item at their regular meeting on March 21, 2016 and voted unanimously to concur with staff’s findings and recommend denial of the rezoning request.

A protest petition was not submitted for this rezoning.

City Commission Action Options

· Commissioners will need to declare Ex Parte Communications.

· The City Commission may follow the Planning Commission’s recommendation for denial by majority vote.

· The City Commission may return the application to the Planning Commission for reconsideration by a majority vote.

· The City Commission may overturn the Planning Commission recommendation and approve the rezoning application. Action that is contrary to the Planning Commission recommendation requires a 2/3 (4 out of 5) vote.

· The City Commission may defer the application to obtain additional information.