Memorandum

Lawrence/Douglas County Metropolitan Planning Department

To:           Commissioner Dennis “Boog” Highberger          

From:       Linda M. Finger, Planning Director

Date:       11/24/2004

Re:          Follow-up on Workshop for Community & Neighborhood Development/Design

New Urbanism, neo-traditional neighborhood design, and SmartGrowth are all planning approaches to describe community & neighborhood development/design.  Based on our earlier discussions, the following is suggested as a way to approach a workshop on Community & Neighborhood Development/Design.  In putting together this outline staff was working on the assumption that the workshop would be limited to 20-30 participants and would be open to city, county and planning commissioners and USD #497 board members. Members of the interested public and media could attend as observers, not participants.

Workshop Basics:

· Workshop would extend over two days –

o a Friday afternoon or evening (4 hours)

o a Saturday morning (4-5 hours)

· Workshop would consist of three components –

o EDUCATIONAL COMPONENT:

§ training and education, introduction of new ideas

§ review of current policies, regulations, and commission goals in respect to new ideas

§ discussion of development templates for macro- and micro-approaches to community & neighborhood development/design

o SCENARIO-BUILDING AND CHARRETTE COMPONENT:

§ division of workshop participants into teams for hands-on work for 3-4 areas currently undeveloped adjacent to the city: [north of North Lawrence, between airport and North Street; west of SLT/K10 between US Hwy 40 and Clinton Parkway; and new UGA area south of Lawrence between Eagle Bend Golf course area and E1750 (Noria) RD]

§ presentations and discussions of strengths and weaknesses of urban development/design in each scenario

o IMPLEMENTATION PLAN OR NEXT STEPS:

§ identification of goals that need revision in HORIZON 2020

§ identification of appropriate areas for implementation of new ideas (mixed used , neighborhood development)

§ identification of codes (Zoning and Subdivision Regulations) that need revision

§ identification of areas in development policy or other city policies that need discussion and additional consideration

§ action plan (general timetable) for implementing revisions

· Workshop estimated cost - $3,500 to $4,500 for consultants, travel expenses, workshop refreshments

Consultants:

Staff has talked with ten consultants, developers or municipal employees involved in new urbanism or with related community & neighborhood development expertise.  Our recommendation would be to create a team of individuals to lead the workshop, representing the Congress on New Urbanism (Kevin Klinkenberg with 180° design studio), the University of Kansas Urban Planning Program (Cliff Ellis, KU Urban Planning Professor), and a past planning director from Lawrence, Ks (Garner Stoll, now a planning director in Parker, CO who has worked the past 10 years on implementing sustainable neighborhood developments regulations).  Garner also was the long-range planner in Lawrence in the mid-1970s and developed the first neighborhood plans for Oread, East Lawrence and Pinckney neighborhoods.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  I look forward to hearing your thoughts on these suggestions.