Our Vision
We envision collaborative governance that empowers all stakeholders—residents, community organizations, businesses, and local government—to shape local policies, budgets, and outcomes.
Largest Annexation in Recent History
On Tuesday, August 18, the City Commission will consider the largest annexation and rezoning request our community has seen in decades, and the development of this area will permanently shape our community going forward. This is a major, rare opportunity to build residential neighborhoods and commercial areas from scratch that align with the City’s planning policies and our community’s long-term needs.
The development is proposed for west of the South Lawrence Trafficway, and the developer is requesting 127 acres of commercial development, 111 acres of residential, and 51 acres of open space. You can read more about the proposal in this LJWorld article.
Current City Issues
Rezoning is one of the most important processes in determining how our community will grow in the upcoming years. Once an area is zoned, its owner has the right to develop it with any use permitted in that zone. Therefore, if the City and the community want an area to be developed in a specific way, we need to ask for it when the area is being rezoned. If you want to share your opinion about this project, please email the Commissioners before noon on Tuesday!
Coalition Analysis of Annexation and Rezoning
Because of the long-term significance of this proposed annexation on our community, our coalition has been monitoring and analyzing this project for months. Based on our analysis, we submitted a report to the Commission today asking them to consider some modifications to the developer's proposal. Here are the highlights of our requests:
1. Convert some of the proposed commercial area to mixed-use zoning, which would allow for commercial and residential development together like we have downtown. The City's planning guidelines encourage mixed-use development, and this change would support the City's goals of
providing more affordable housing,
increasing density and building walkable neighborhoods,
increasing property tax revenue for making the City more financially sustainable,
maximizing infrastructure investment, and
reducing detrimental environmental impacts of urbanization.
2. Convert some of the proposed low-density housing area to medium-density to increase the amount and affordability of new single-family housing this area could provide. Denser neighborhoods can also generate more property taxes so the City can more sustainably provide their infrastructure and services.
3. Encourage the developer to offer homeownership options that are attainable for middle-income residentsand to provide affordable rental and homeownership options, such as condominiums or owner-controlled apartments, for low-income residents.
4. Collaborate with the developer for the best long-term outcomes for our community.
Read our full report to learn more about how density and mixed-use development are more financially and environmentally sustainable for our community!
Local Issue Research
by KU Graduate Students
KU graduate students in the Urban Planning Department’s Politics and Planning class researched recent Lawrence projects and issues. They interviewed community members and City staff, researched public records, and wrote papers analyzing these issues and providing policy recommendations.
Our coalition was fortunate to participate in this project by identifying research topics and meeting with the students to share our experiences related to these issues. Topics include affordable housing incentives, City budget, data centers, KU’s tax incentives, the Farmer’s Market permanent home, solar energy projects, and much more! And here’s a cool poster on the City budget.
Our Coalition’s Goals
Develop Relationships
Develop more collaborative relationships between our local governments and their residents.
Identify Issues and Successes
Identify recurrent challenges and successful practices in local governmental processes.
Promote Solutions
Promote solutions to make our local government’s cultures, policies, and practices more transparent, collaborative, and accountable.