Memorandum

City of Lawrence

Douglas County

Planning and Development Services

 

TO:

Planning Commission

 

FROM:

Amy Miller, Long Range Planner

 

CC:

Scott McCullough, Director, Planning and Development Services

 

Date:

February 27, 2012

 

RE:

CPA-11-8-11 – North Mass Development Update Memo

 

 

CPA-11-8-11 was deferred from the January 25, 2012 Planning Commission at the applicant’s request in order to give them more time to discuss the project with various stakeholders. Since that time, staff has also worked with the applicant to revise some of the proposed language contained in the Comprehensive Plan Amendment, namely regarding the creation of design guidelines (Policy 1.1 D 4) and the limit on store square footage (Policy 1.1 D 3). For ease, staff is offering this memo as an addendum to the original staff report, dated January 25, 2012. The below language is the complete amendment language proposed by staff and reflects the revisions noted above:

 

New language is in italics and underlined and language to be removed is struckthrough.

 

(From pages 6-3 and 6-4)

 

■          Downtown Commercial Center

 

The Downtown Commercial Center is the historic core of governmental, commercial, institutional, social and cultural activity. Transitions to adjacent neighborhoods are traditionally provided through alleyways or landscaping improvements rather than a change in use or density. The Downtown Commercial Center is restricted to the historic commercial core of Lawrence (Downtown Lawrence) and the area immediately north of the Kansas River (North Mass Development). The boundaries of Downtown Lawrence correspond with the boundaries outlined in the “Comprehensive Downtown Plan”, and are described as: starting at the Kansas River, south along Kentucky Street to just south of Vermont Towers, then east to Vermont Street, south along Vermont Street to North Park Street, east along North Park Street to Rhode Island Street, north along Rhode Island Street to 11th Street, west along 11th Street to the alley east of New Hampshire Street, north along the New Hampshire Street alley to 9th Street, east on 9th Street to Rhode Island Street, then north on Rhode Island Street to the Kansas River. The boundaries of the North Mass Development are described as: starting from the intersection of the levy and North 2nd Street, then north along the levy to the centerline of Lyon Street, then east along the centerline of Lyon Street to the west right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad, then southeast along the west right-of-way of the Union Pacific Railroad to the centerline of North 2nd, then south along the centerline of North 2nd Street to the intersection of the levy and North 2nd Street.

 

The Downtown Commercial Center is the Regional Retail/Commercial/Office/Cultural Center for the community and is considered a destination driver that attracts and serves the area beyond that of the local community. The Downtown Commercial Center has an established development and architectural/urban design pattern. Unique among commercial centers in Lawrence, the Downtown Commercial Center combines a variety of land uses, including governmental, retail, office, public facilities, institutions, churches, and residential. Linear in design, the Downtown Commercial Center is focused along Massachusetts Street with New Hampshire, and Vermont Streets and the North Mass Development serving as secondary activity areas. General building patterns are urban. Mixed-use, multi-story buildings are the most common building form and parking is provided on-street and through community parking lots and parking structures.

 

Building designs and public improvements are focused on providing a pedestrian-oriented commercial experience. Massachusetts Street has a distinct streetscape with sawtooth parking and a focus on first floor (pedestrian oriented) retail use. Vermont, and New Hampshire and North 2nd Streets provide the major vehicular movement patterns and provide access to the majority of the community parking areas. Alleyways, which provide service access, are one of the main character-defining elements that distinguish the Downtown Commercial Center from other commercial centers. To ensure there are a variety of commercial uses, the maximum footprint for an individual store is limited to approximately 25,000 gross square feet in Downtown Lawrence and 50,000 gross square feet in the North Mass Development area. One of the keys to the success of the Downtown Commercial Center is the ability to provide a wide range of leasable square footage that is both flexible and capable of being tailored to a specific use. Construction within the Downtown Commercial Center is regulated by a set of design guidelines administered through an Urban Conservation Overlay Zoning District.

 

An important ingredient to ensuring the continued viability of Downtown is keeping it the center of the city’s social and institutional activities. To maintain downtown as the city and County’s hub of governmental functions; uses and buildings such as City Hall, the County Courthouse, Municipal Library, Douglas County Senior Center, Fire/Medical Department’s Main Office, Police and Sheriff Offices, the Municipal Pool and the Municipal and District Courts shall remain located in Downtown.

 

(From pages 6-13 and 6-14)

•          Downtown Lawrence

 

Throughout the development of this Plan, the need to preserve, improve and enhance Downtown Lawrence has been shown to have broad community support. Goals and policies in the Plan are written to ensure Downtown Lawrence remains competitive and viable as a Regional Retail Commercial Center. Downtown Lawrence shall remain the Regional Retail/Commercial/Office/Cultural Center because it is: 1) a physical and cultural symbol of the strength of the community; 2) a gathering point for many civic and cultural functions; 3) the "historic core" of the community which establishes a vital continuity between the past and the present community; and 4) the site of major public and private investment.

 

The Comprehensive Downtown Plan reiterates the specific functions of a downtown. These functions include provisions for a retail core, office space, entertainment services, peripheral residential development, cultural facilities (including performing arts, museums and libraries) community social needs (including club and organizational meeting facilities), government offices and facilities, health services, convention and hotel facilities. The Comprehensive Downtown Plan also states this area should provide, "the economic, physical and aesthetic environment around which the populace can develop an intense pride in the community, a focal point for identification and drawing together for common interests, a meeting place where people can communicate and relax -- the heart of the city".

 

To distinguish Downtown Lawrence from other commercial and retail areas, and to preserve and enhance its role in the community, Downtown Lawrence is designated as the Regional Retail/Commercial/Office/Cultural Center and shall be the only location within the planning area developed for such use. Gateways to Downtown Lawrence should be emphasized and enhanced to contribute to the "sense of place" of this unique area of the community.

 

The distinction as the Regional Retail/Commercial/Office/Cultural Center, above and beyond other commercial areas within the community, is significant. Downtown Lawrence serves the greater needs of the community as a focal point for social, community and governmental activities. The Plan's goals and policies encourage the continued development of a broad mix of uses in downtown Lawrence with an emphasis on retail as a major land use. It is vital to the community's well-being that Downtown Lawrence remain the viable Regional Retail Commercial Center.

 

For Downtown Lawrence to remain economically stable and vital there is a need to expand the boundaries beyond the current configuration illustrated in the adopted Comprehensive Downtown Plan. The addition of the North Mass Development area serves this purpose, and provides for a unique development that will be complementary to the main Downtown Commercial Center located south of the Kansas River. This anticipates the need to provide additional parking areas and locations for commercial and public-related development in the future. At this time, With the exception of the North Mass Development, the Comprehensive Plan does not recommend areas for downtown expansion, but opportunities for expansion and redevelopment do exist within the current boundaries of Downtown Lawrence. Action to expand Downtown Lawrence can only be reasonably undertaken following a comprehensive re-evaluation of downtown needs, assets, growth potentials, use mix, and preferred locations for conservation and development. Re-study of the Comprehensive Downtown Plan should explore the following options to improve Downtown Lawrence: development of a comprehensive parking plan and implementation schedule, evaluation of transportation options, improvement of access to downtown from the east, west and south, and inclusion of more uses along the river and integration of these developments into downtown.

 

(From Page 6-23)

 

GOAL 1:         Established Commercial Area Development

 

Encourage the retention, redevelopment and expansion of established commercial areas of the community.

 

Policy 1.1:    Recognize and Emphasize Downtown Lawrence as the Regional Retail/Commercial/Office/Cultural Center

 

A.          Encourage and support the development of a broad mix of land uses, with an emphasis on retail as a major land use, the provision of parking facilities, improved accessibility, and the expansion of Downtown Lawrence while maintaining the integrity of surrounding neighborhoods.

 

B.          Strengthen, define and support neighborhood residential areas adjacent to Downtown Lawrence in order to reinforce the safety, image and identity of Downtown Lawrence.

 

C.        Closely analyze (through Policies 1.7, 3.7 G, 3.9 E, and any other relevant Policies) the impact of requests for development of community and/or regional shopping areas to ensure that such development does not have a negative impact on the Regional Retail/Commercial/Office/Cultural Center. This analysis would be used to evaluate the potential impact on the future viability of the Regional Retail/Commercial/Office/Cultural Center as a whole and not the potential impact on individual businesses or properties.

 

D.       The North Mass Development is an extension of the Downtown Commercial Center that shall complement the existing Downtown Lawrence. The following policies shall be implemented for the North Mass Development:

 

1.    The North Mass Development shall contain a mix of uses including residential, office and commercial.

2.    The North Mass Development shall provide adequate parking spaces to accommodate the mix of uses in the development.

3.    The footprint for an individual retail business in the North Mass Development shall be limited to 50,000 square feet.

4.    The North Mass Development shall be developed utilizing the PD overlay zoning regulations or through the creation of development specific design guidelines.