Memorandum                    

City of Lawrence

City Manager’s Office

TO:	Thomas M. Markus, City Manager
FROM:	Diane Stoddard, Assistant City Manager
DATE:	November 7, 2017
CC:	Casey Toomay, Assistant City Manager Britt Crum-Cano, Economic Development Coordinator Toni Wheeler, City Attorney
RE:	Staff response to correspondence on Vermont Place

This morning correspondence was received from Steven Watts regarding the Vermont Place project and posing several questions and comments. The applicant, Bob Schumm, has provided a response. 

Staff would also add that the technical aspects of how the property is legally structured and the details of how the future home owners’ association is set up are not details that are needed at the point of establishing an NRA district or adopting the plan.  The plan sets forth that any parcel that has a value as identified by the Douglas County Appraiser’s office, with the exception of the one owned by Schumm for his personal residence, would be eligible for a rebate.  The plan, which has been carefully crafted in consultation with the Appraiser’s office, county officials and county legal counsel, envisions a “parent parcel”, which is fairly typical with condo development.  Additionally, setting up homeowner’s associations relating to common maintenance, as Mr. Schumm has indicated would be the future plan, is also quite typical.  Again, these items do not need to be finalized at this point for the City’s action related to the NRA district or plan adoption.