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MASTER PLAN OVERVIEW |
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Origin of Plan On October 26, 2004, the East Lawrence, Barker, and Brook Creek Neighborhood Associations jointly submitted a request to the Lawrence City Commission for development of a plan that included the area 500 feet in all directions along the abandoned Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) railroad right-of-way, from E. 11th Street to E. 23rd Street.
The purpose of the plan is to provide guidelines for the use of the abandoned railroad right-of-way as a linear park, including the incorporation of a multi-modal trail, and to emphasize residential development and appropriate neighborhood compatible use of underutilized industrial and commercial sites.
The plan was created by staff with input from a 10-person study committee that included residents from the three associated neighborhood associations. A term/planning horizon of the plan was not specified.
The plan was approved by the City Commission at their February 14, 2006 meeting.
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Expected outcomes from the plan The plan provides recommendations regarding the development of a linear park and multi-modal trail, and residential development and neighborhood appropriate commercial and industrial adaptive reuse of underutilized sites.
The recommendations associated with the park and trail development include: property acquisition for development of the multi-modal trail, pursuit of an agreement with BNSF for the development of a “rails-with-trails” north of E. 12 Street, pursuit of additional funding opportunities for the development of the multi-modal trail, and development of the trail. The timeframe identified for the implementation of these recommendations was between 6-18 months.
The recommendations associated with the residential development and adaptive reuse include: provide zoning consistent with use, tax incentives for residential and commercial development, encourage residential compatible development, and protection of historic sites and character. The plan does not identify a timeframe for implementing these recommendations, but rather identifies them as “ongoing”. Expectations for evaluation or progress and performance are not identified in the plan.
The plan does not address expectations of revisiting and revising the plan, either programmatically at the operational level or through public process at the Commission level; however, Chapter 14 of Horizon 2020 specifies a review date of 2011.
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Funding The plan recommends that additional funding for a linear park and multi-modal trail within the abandoned railroad corridor be pursued. The recommended funding sources included Transportation Enhancements (now Transportation Alternatives through the Kansas Department of Transportation), Recreational Trails Program, National Park Service – Heritage Preservation Services, private donations, public monies, and dedication of easements.
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Status Update The Burroughs Creek Trail has been constructed from E. 23rd Street to E. 11th Street (the portion of trail from E. 23rd Street to E. 29th Street was built prior to creation of the plan; however, this portion of trail was later paved via funding from the Kansas Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives program).
The plan recommended zoning changes for some properties within the plan area to encourage the development with land uses compatible with the adjacent neighborhoods. At the time of the plan’s adoption, some of those rezoning requests were presented and approved by the City Commission at that time. Other possible rezoning were also identified, but have not been implemented yet. The zoning within the plan area includes industrial zoning south of E. 19th Street and residential zoning north of E. 19th Street. The area south of E. 19th Street is developed with industrial uses and the existing industrial zoning is appropriate.
The city has continued to work toward the completion of the Lawrence Loop, which will provide a 22-mile trail around the city limits when fully constructed. The Burroughs Creek Trail is a component of this trail system.
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Future In January 2019, The Kansas Department of Transportation announced that the City of Lawrence would receive $480,000 in Transportation Alternatives funding for sections of the Lawrence Loop from 8th Street to 11th Street and 29th Street from the Burroughs Creek Trail to Haskell Avenue.
The plan remains a guide for the development of the subject area with residential and commercial development that is compatible with the three adjacent neighborhood associations.
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