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MASTER PLAN OVERVIEW |
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Origin of Plan The city received a Community Building Grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce and Housing in 1998 for the creation of the plan. The purpose of the plan is to provide the neighborhood and the City with a guide to protect and enhance the East Lawrence neighborhood.
The plan was created by a consulting firm, with public and stakeholder input provided through 5 neighborhood workshops, 2 interactive meetings with the East Lawrence business community, 2 direct-mail surveys, and steering committee meetings. Members of the steering committee included East Lawrence residents and property owners, the East Lawrence business community, neighborhood churches, the school district, and city staff.
The plan was adopted by the City Commission at their November 21, 2000 meeting. The planning horizon of the plan was from the year of adoption to 2010.
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Expected outcomes from the plan The plan focuses on implementation strategies and the establishment of issue-oriented task forces to achieve the 6 primary goals, which include: 1) Encourage effective code enforcement, maintain appropriate land use and zoning and develop a true sensitivity to housing issues. 2) Preserve and conserve existing physical neighborhood landmarks. 3) Protect and enhance neighborhood greenspace, streetscapes and other physical assets. 4) Support neighborhood institutions and programs, and preserve, retain and improve existing activity centers. 5) Enhance pedestrian and automobile safety. Clearly demarcate commercial truck routes. 6) Protect and strengthen the viability of neighborhood business.
The plan specifies a 10 year implementation period from 2000 to 2010, and categorized the implementation strategies into short-range (2000-2003), mid-range (2003-2007), and long-range (2007-2010).
Examples of implementation tools identified included the creation of overlay zoning and conservation districts, Community Development Block Grants, tax increment financing, federal preservation tax credits, other funding incentives, federal funds to enhance parks and recreational space, development of design guidelines tailored to the East Lawrence neighborhood, creation of a Code Enforcement Task Force, and prevention of the illegal conversation of single-family residences to multi-family residences.
Appendix A states that the goals should be reviewed on a regular basis as conditions change and as the plan is implemented. The parties identified as responsible for evaluating and monitoring the progress of implementation are the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association, the East Lawrence Business Association, and the Lawrence/Douglas County Planning Department. The mechanism identified for formal review of progress is an evaluation workshop, in which the task forces present their accomplishments, challenges, and any changes necessary in the goals or schedules. The timeframe for the evaluation workshops was one every 36 months through the 10 year period (2000-2010). Also, Chapter 14 – Specific Plans of Horizon 2020 provides a review date for this plan as the year 2010.
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Funding Not applicable.
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Status Update In 2016, the City Commission adopted a rezoning request initiated by the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association. The rezoning was intended to align the zoning of the area to the existing land uses for the purpose of protecting the character of the neighborhood.
At their February 19, 2019 meeting, the City Commission received a letter from the Historic Resources Commission about the need for design guidelines for the East Lawrence neighborhood.
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Future The plan is included in Chapter 14 – Specific Plans in Horizon 2020. The plan is used to provide guidance on planning applications that could affect the neighborhood.
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