Lawrence/Douglas County, Kansas

Land Development Code 
   

For the City of Lawrence and Douglas County, Duncan Associates conducted a diagnostic review of existing zoning and subdivision regulations and then updated and consolidated the regulations. The purpose of the review was to evaluate their consistency with other codes; state and federal regulations; historic preservation and transportation policies; Horizon 2020 and Transportation 2020 recommendations; and contemporary regulatory practices and policies. The review concluded with a list of recommended code revisions/additions to address review findings.

The diagnosis report included a thorough analysis of relevant, existing zoning/subdivision code provisions and an examination of alternative regulatory practices and approaches used in other jurisdictions. It also included a series of specific recommendations related to the findings of the analysis that address the regulatory content and organizational structure of the zoning and subdivision codes. Where appropriate, recommendations included sample provisions from other ordinances designed to address the subject under consideration. Recommendations were aimed at ensuring regulatory clarity, ease of administration and legal sufficiency. During an early series of stakeholder interviews, most local public officials agreed that Lawrence's current regulations were overly cumbersome and not very user-friendly. Issues raised by staff focused on inconsistent access management issues, overly-detailed use categories, and extensive nonconformities. As might be expected in a university community, local code enforcement officials were concerned about complaints relating to the number of people living together in a single residential unit.

Period:     January 1999 - present               Contact:   Linda Finger
Team:       Duncan Associates                                     Community Development Director
                                                                              785.832.3154