Consulting team presents first look at Lawrence SmartCode

An overflow audience hears presentation at City Commission meeting

February 6, 2007 - After a week of intensive design and discussion, the PlaceMakers consulting team presented plans Tuesday night for ways to help Lawrence grow in the manner that produced its most beloved neighborhoods. City Commissioner Boog Highberger thanked the consultants for their efforts. "A lot of the things I love about Lawrence are illegal to build now," he said. "You're giving us the opportunity to fix that."

A gathering of some 100 people came to see the PlaceMakers' presentation (.pdf, 14mb) before the City Commission. What they saw was an image-packed proposal for a regulating plan - a locally calibrated SmartCode - for the Lawrence area with special design consideration for six study areas. Included, as well, were renderings of architectural ideas for new neighborhoods and infill projects. Of special interest: A proposal for a classical design for the new library on city park property along the river.

Within the next couple of weeks, PlaceMakers will submit a draft SmartCode for review by the city staff. "We've already done a lot of calibration to your code during this week," PlaceMakers principal Susan Henderson told the Commission and the audience. "The majority of changes we've made already have come from suggestions from your citizens and from the support of your expert planning staff."

There was enthusiasm Tuesday night to build on the momentum of the weeklong charrette. "We've had a tremendous outpouring of public involvement all week," said Lawrence Vice-Mayor Sue Hack. "We certainly encouraged that. It's important to understand that this project didn't just plop down out of nowhere. It was made possible by a public conversation. And it the conversation is not over."

Here's what some attendees at the City Commission meeting had to say about the PlaceMakers' presentation:

"It takes the developer, the city, and the neighborhoods to be on the same page to do this and the SmartCode is so much simpler and easy to read. Today you might spend thousands of dollars coming up with a plan, only to forget a detail. This is easier." -- Laura Chaney

"I think from the responses I've seen that people are warming to it. Before the charrette there was undue negative response. A lot of people don't get involved until they are mad. There's been some really promising dialogue. The challenge is how we continue the dialogue once PlaceMakers is gone." -- Bill Wachspress

"I'm pro-growth if it's done with a lot of thought and maintains quality of life. Some of the plans are very progressive but they fit Lawrence and accentuate what we currently have and improves on it. I would like to see this be a three to five year plan rather than a 10 year plan. I think Lawrence is ready for this." -- Quinn Miller

"I'm an architect and support walkability and New Urbanist principles. I see that the renderings are conservative architecturally and don't know if that's a good thing for our future. From an architectural standpoint I strongly believe we need to express our time as well as our place." -- David Dunfield

"I thought the presentation was fantastic. As a community we have to get past the fear of changing things. We'll get a first crack at it in a few weeks." -- Grant Eichhorn

"I'm a planner and have a lot of strong opinions. I didn't have a problem with anything I saw tonight. I say the designs are very thoughtful and the team did a great job of designing the kinds of places people want to live." -- Andrea Repinsky