KSHB 41 reporter Lily O’Shea Becker covers Franklin and Douglas counties in Kansas. Share your story idea with Lily.
—
All five Lawrence city commissioners voted to approve the annexation of a 65-acre unincorporated Douglas County lot into city limits for residential development on Tuesday.
The commissioners approved zoning the lot, located near the intersection of E. 1000 Road and N. 1700 Road, for low-density housing. Commissioners gave approval to zone about 19 acres for "open space," which could be dedicated to the city as a formal park or maintained by a homeowner's association, according to a city staff report.
Current plans call for the development of a new subdivision including 168 residential lots, per the report. City staffers say the city's residential lot inventory is currently critically low.
“Generally speaking, I’m very excited about the public benefit of having additional homes," Lawrence Mayor Brad Finkeldei said at the commission meeting. "I do think adding additional single-family homes — no matter what the price point — will be a benefit to the city, so I’m going to support the annexation and the zonings."
Located just to the east of the annexed lot is Lawrence Nature Park, and just to the south is Lawrence's Westwood Hills neighborhood.
“I know that the city needs single-family homes," said Westwood Hills resident Chad Collins. "I’m sympathetic to that. I know that that’s something they’re in need of — affordable housing for Lawrence. I just think that there’s more applicable space near the highway they’re renovating, where everything is growing west."
RELATED | Development west of K-10? Potential Costco would spur development in west Lawrence, mayor says
Collins and his neighbor Purna Bangere went door to door in their neighborhood to hand out fliers with talking points about the possible development. Both their backyards lead up to N. 1700 Road and would face any future development.
More than 35 people wrote letters in opposition to the annexation and rezoning of the lot to the city commission.
Bangere said he represented several of his neighbors as he spoke at Tuesday's meeting.
“My biggest concern is the habitat and the complete destruction of the spirit of the neighborhood," Bangere said.
On Wednesday, Collins pointed out deer tracks near his backyard and said he spotted his first bald eagle from his house last week.
Both men say they see deer, foxes, ducks, turkeys, coyotes and hawks through large windows on the backside of their houses.
“This landscape is all we see," Collins said. "It’s our artwork, and we bought the house because of it.”
Collins and Bangere's concerns are greater than the environmental impact. They also wonder how traffic would be routed for a new subdivision behind their homes.
Studies to better understand both environmental and traffic impacts have not yet been conducted.
“Getting the land into the city and getting the zoning in place allows the rest of those studies to go forward and make those considerations," Finkeldei said Tuesday.
Landplan Engineering PA, a local civil engineering company, submitted the annexation request on behalf of the property owner.
The land lies within USD 343, known as the Perry-Lecompton School District.
—
