January 15, 2025
The City of Lawrence Land Development Code was adopted on second and final reading at last night’s City Commission meeting. The Land Development Code will go into effect on April 1, 2025.
“It has been a years-long endeavor to update the Land Development Code to something functional for our community as it stands now and as we look toward the future,” said Jeff Crick, Director of Planning & Development Services. “We’re looking forward to working with our community members as we get started with its implementation this spring.”
The newly adopted Land Development Code is the most significant update since the previous Land Development Code was adopted in 2006. There are a number of notable changes in the new code to improve commercial and residential developments in Lawrence:
- Maximum standards for parking spaces for commercial developments. The new Land Development Code has maximum parking standards instead of minimum amounts of required parking, which should help drive down the cost of development by no longer requiring specified amounts of parking to meet the building’s size. The maximum parking standards also decrease the amount of impervious surface at a development, which is more environmentally friendly as it lessens stormwater runoff.
- “Missing Middle” housing to increase affordability. The new code allows for the development of housing that is more than a duplex but less than an apartment complex, for example accessory dwelling units, attached dwellings such as three- and four-plexes, courtyard development, and small lot development. This should help get more housing types mixed into neighborhood developments, which brings more units at different price points to the housing market.
- Infill residential development standards for neighborhood compatibility. The new code has Residential Design Standards and Guidelines as well as infill standards so new developments have to match the style of the surrounding area, meaning matching lot widths, distance to neighbors, distance from streets, etc. This ensures structures and lots look similar.
- Neighborhoods with mixed-use commercial businesses. The code refines smaller commercial options and puts more emphasis on mixing uses. This sets it up so smaller businesses could fit within a neighborhood instead limiting businesses to separate commercial districts.
- Environmental protections throughout the code. In an effort for the City of Lawrence to meet our commitment to environmental sustainability, we’ve added land disturbance/grading requirements, and we’ve introduced stream buffers, which protect waterway corridors throughout our community.
Ahead of April 1, 2025, the City of Lawrence will create a Land Development Code user guide that offers a shorter, easier-to-understand way to read the most commonly used parts of the code. The City anticipates providing the user guide in March 2025 and will share it as soon as it becomes available.
While the new Land Development Code has been adopted, residents can continue to share feedback on any part of the code that they think should be reviewed or changed. Feedback can be emailed to DevelopmentCodeUpdate@lawrenceks.org.
Media Contact: City Communications, citycommunications@lawrenceks.org
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