In the News

from the Journal-World, Lawrence , KS, 7.26.04

Smart-growth steps outlined
National advisers promote pedestrian-friendly developments

By Joel Mathis
Journal-World

Cars dominate 23rd Street and South Iowa Street, but that could change under recommendations from national "smart growth" consultants -- recommendations that may find their way into guidelines for new development.

Experts from the Smart Growth Leadership Institute who toured Lawrence earlier this year are suggesting that future developments along those two commercial corridors should include plazas, pocket parks and a lot of sidewalks.

"Big box" stores like SuperTarget, 3201 S. Iowa, should "integrate pedestrian walkways with surrounding development to provide a sense of safety and comfort for pedestrians," the experts said in their report, now available on the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Department's Web site, www.lawrenceplanning.org.

Planning Commissioner Bonnie Johnson, a member of the commission's design guidelines subcommittee, praised the pedestrian-friendliness of the recommendations.

"I think it's creating, in all parts of the city, different options for how to get somewhere," Johnson said last week. "So that if you do park and you're visiting Target, it would be fine to leave your car there and walk to JC Penney's, instead of getting in your car ... like you have to do today."

New rules, old buildings
Existing buildings wouldn't be required to change to conform to the recommended standards. Instead, the rules would be imposed as stores along those corridors redevelop for new uses.

Developers and other officials familiar with 23rd and Iowa streets told the Journal-World last week they hadn't seen the recommendations and couldn't comment.

In December, Lawrence officials learned the city had received a grant of expert assistance from the Smart Growth Leadership Institute in Washington. The consultants toured the city in April, taking notes as background for recommendations for design guidelines to govern the look of new commercial developments here.

The report contains 12 pages of recommendations for Iowa Street, 11 for 23rd Street and just one for Sixth Street between Wakarusa Drive and the South Lawrence Trafficway, where future commercial developments are expected.

Planning officials said the work of developing design guidelines for new developments is being handled by Johnson's subcommittee. The consultants' work is intended to complement those efforts.

"That's what the design guideline subcommittee's been focused on," said city planner Brad Hauschild. "They're the ones that are looking at new development -- hopefully we'll have a draft in the next few weeks. Really, the stuff the smart-growth people have done is supposed to coincide with what the Planning Commission subcommittee has done."

Trellises, colonnades
The recommendations include specific aesthetic instructions, such as suggestions that South Iowa Street stores include trellises, awnings and colonnades to make their entrances more attractive.

But the report is heaviest on suggestions to make the commercial corridors easier for walkers and bicyclists to navigate.

"I think we're hearing that we need to walk more, just for our health," Johnson said. "Also (the pedestrian-friendly aspect) just makes it a nice place to be: it's shady, the cars are moving more slowly, there's details on the building that make it more interesting. ... You get more bang for your buck."

Will Fleissig, a Denver developer and former Boulder, Colo., planning director, led the consulting team. He did not return a call for comment.

Fleissig will return to Lawrence at noon Aug. 10 to formally present and explain the report to city officials. Johnson said Fleissig's expertise would be needed to figure out how to make the recommendations a reality.

"I'm not quite sure how we're going to implement the recommendations," Johnson said. "I hope this next meeting gets into how they do these things."