Lawrence/Douglas County, Kansas

Adequate Public Facilities Study
   

For the City of Lawrence and Douglas County, Duncan Associates examined fiscal, legal and policy issues involved in the relationship between new development and necessary expansions of public facilities. Lawrence and Douglas County have a long history of joint planning efforts and share a single planning commission. The study began with a review of established policies regarding public facilities included in the comprehensive plan and adopted ordinances. The report for the client then examined alternative approaches to expanding infrastructure to meet the demands of new development and

provided examples of the use of each technique in other communities. The report included specific recommendations for improving City and County regulatory programs. Major recommendations included: adoption of explicit level-of-service standards as regulatory control tools in the city; adoption of locational criteria for institutional and higher intensity uses in the county; consideration of the use of impact fees in selected areas; continued use of targeted infrastructure investments to encourage growth in selected areas; continuation of the use of designated "urban growth" planning areas; and increased involvement of the planning commission and staff in developing capital improvement priorities.