[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6132695,"mediaKeyId","5719806-2d03074d1bd7e3990febec05563b5081","parentId",5719806,"title","Board denies request to raise impervious-surface cap in floodplain at 952 N. Third St.","audioSeconds",2338,"startMs",3803000,"endMs",6141000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5719806-2d03074d1bd7e3990febec05563b5081&start=3803&end=6141","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5719806-2d03074d1bd7e3990febec05563b5081/thumbnail_3803000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6132695/Lawrence/Douglas-County/Kansas/Board-denies-request-to-raise-impervious-surface-cap-in-floodplain-at-952-N-Third-St","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6132695-a5b955f8a2ffa38bbd98202658604412/orig.mp4?Expires=1770512495&Signature=DRAMSwkhPMA6NFXQj2tIgJXtP4vAVYhfprkOrnCsEexEWkwoHsQ2tFJ5KAIUpX7kvBZ2vCdHsmSeZkz4V4f9weroSYlveivuiQcSIQL2pBKEk3OkfX0M18E9ZGKbo6SS0ffo1Qx7PIxLEiTKhIBRVX4fKgN72oYDhrn53SoAg-NA129WCQ~zk2liQXycqShRACumGhlMnJywcaUpcwCp3ibuQoIIvPT8-xKwtBNlsYqteeTo1NxW-vQI2fqS9XFqMYE1lnZD0NDJ54dTEfL6T1IHFrTDHV9KhIOkW8fWB2q-IOiC~I~ZZTlP2TND3KVWpaZr7oyEdBgdQgtneOhWQQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Lawrence , KS","date","2025-09-05T13:37:00Z","article","The Lawrence Board of Zoning Appeals on Sept. 4 denied a request to increase the maximum impervious-surface coverage for nonresidential construction in the Floodplain Overlay District at 952 North Third Street from the city’s 60% limit to 67.5%.

Planning staff recommended denial, saying the higher impervious percentage could increase runoff and adversely affect neighboring properties and that the request did not meet the five variance criteria. \"Staff does not believe that the request satisfies all five standard criteria or the remaining floodplain-specific criteria required to obtain a variance,\" Planning staff said in the staff report and in oral remarks during the hearing.

The site is an approximately 1.1-acre parcel fully encumbered by the city’s Floodplain Overlay District, and staff told the board that a significant portion of North Lawrence is similarly encumbered. The staff report noted the 60% cap had been in ordinance-level floodplain rules for many years and that the higher standard is one of the city’s measures to earn credit in FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS), which can reduce flood-insurance premiums for residents.

The applicant, represented by Alan Balot, said the property already contains about 67.5% impervious area and that the proposed building would largely cover existing paved areas rather than expand paved area. \"What we have is what we have,\" Balot said, arguing the application was meant to ratify the existing surface coverage.

Neighbors gave detailed public comment about stormwater impacts. Natalia Lowther, who identified herself as an adjacent landowner and operator of Pinwheel Farm, described repeated flooding on her property and said she opposed any variance that would increase impervious cover in the floodplain. \"Pinwheel Farm is not the default stormwater detention management system for Grant Township and the city north of the river. I do not consent to my property being used to allow other properties to exceed the standards that have been set to protect my property and everyone else's,\" Lowther said.

Planning staff and the board discussed mitigation options. Staff said the applicant could reduce impervious area by removing off-street parking or adding interior landscaping islands, or could use alternatives such as pervious pavement; Amy Miller, assistant planning director with floodplain responsibilities, noted pervious pavement has been used on other sites in similar situations and estimated the needed reduction to meet 60% would be roughly 7–8% of the site, roughly 1,500 square feet.

Board members who opposed the variance emphasized the long-term and perpetual nature of variances and the potential downstream consequences for neighbors and public safety. One board member said it is a significant concern that a variance granted now stays with the land as uses change.

After discussion the board voted to deny the impervious-surface variance. The motion to deny passed on a board vote; Palos — aye; Peterson — aye; Rankin — aye; other members voted in favor as recorded and the motion carried. The denial leaves in place the Floodplain Overlay District’s 60% impervious limit for future site activity unless the applicant submits a revised plan that reduces impervious area or otherwise complies with the code.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Lawrence City Board of Zoning Appeals 09/04/25 ","oneSentenceSummary","The Board of Zoning Appeals denied a request to increase the Floodplain Overlay District impervious-surface cap for nonresidential development at 952 North Third Street from 60% to 67.5%, citing potential adverse impacts on adjacent properties and floodplain-management standards.","taxTitle","Lawrence, Douglas County, Kansas","taxId",3971,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6132700,"Board approves setback variance for vehicle storage at 952 N. Third St.",3271,517000,3788000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5719806-2d03074d1bd7e3990febec05563b5081&start=517&end=3788","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5719806-2d03074d1bd7e3990febec05563b5081/thumbnail_517000.jpg","/articles/6132700/Lawrence/Douglas-County/Kansas/Board-approves-setback-variance-for-vehicle-storage-at-952-N-Third-St","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6132700-d63b0d19e94adf68a92cb8bd1562441e/orig.mp4?Expires=1770512495&Signature=XBX3R7VVopNdiTXT1R4shAGGwUbpfUbFvZETbhyxeyVcxser1hBzm1T0B6-vHdCRr5ACim0JmsNbuV-KQuUUIQ0A7V5pgTb3CeCgqxt6ddgQT9NVq9hsuvkZwgRIOT8~8~g1tBAzzib7RrDxPZM1I-8YhgJ6W7GVCigYf30jYj-RKyb5BH9OSQaGUKpjEm9o-~OrOeaBu-U0zy2Dq25iKedXC9rUR099TFxkpXfnnSTmvWUyc8kz-2t4yOkPBV1zABzR3aM0SbjNih4forucJfA4d0lI6fAOgAO95G~fBLdkyTCnHwpisWMwrYwNxUHdGHQdXLxDZY6RodN1mcRArQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Lawrence Board of Zoning Appeals on Sept. 4 approved a variance allowing the proposed vehicle-storage building at 952 North Third Street to be sited 210 feet back from the public right of way, exceeding the Mixed Corridor (M3) district maximum front setback of 25 feet.

Staff recommended denial, saying the request failed to meet the five variance criteria in the city's Land Development Code and would conflict with the code's intent to pull buildings closer to the street. \"Staff recommends denial of this requested variance to increase the maximum front setback for a lot in the Mixed Corridor district,\" said Luke Mortensen, Planning staff, during the hearing.

The property is an approximately 1.1-acre platted lot on the east side of North Third Street that the staff report said was annexed in two stages and contains three existing buildings constructed in 1978, 1990 and 2007. Mortensen told the board the parcel's multi-stage annexation and lot shape are not itself a unique condition compared with nearby lots that converted automatically to M3 when the city's Land Development Code was adopted in 2024 and took effect April 1, 2025. \"The subject property is at the front of that line,\" Mortensen said, explaining why staff viewed the new standards as generally applicable.

The applicant, represented by Alan Balot, disputed the timing and record of the review. Balot said the project team had submitted site drawings in 2024 and later revised them, and that the parcel already functions largely as paved vehicle storage. \"What we have is what we have,\" Balot said, arguing the variance would simply legalize the existing configuration and allow construction of a building over existing paved area.

Neighbors and nearby landowners raised procedural and practical concerns during public comment, including questions about when a site plan was submitted and whether flood- or stormwater management had been studied. Natalia Lowther, who said she owns farmland east of the site, told the board she monitors stormwater impacts to her property and asked whether stormwater pollution-prevention documentation had been submitted.

Board members split in their reasoning: some said the site's floodplain encumbrance and narrow \"piano-key\" lot shape supplied unique circumstances supporting a variance, while others emphasized fairness and the lack of a documented 2024 site-plan application in the city's records. After discussion the board voted to approve the setback variance: Palos — aye; Shalinski — yes; Shanuda — yes; Watkins — yes; Peterson — nay; Rankin (chair) — nay. The motion carried.

The board's decision applies only to the setback variance and does not by itself approve any building permit or site-plan revisions required by other city standards, including floodplain management rules and site-plan review.","The Lawrence Board of Zoning Appeals on Sept. 4 approved a variance allowing a proposed vehicle storage building at 952 North Third Street to be sited about 210 feet from the street instead of the 25-foot maximum in the Mixed Corridor (M3) district.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board denies request to raise impervious-surface cap in floodplain at 952 N. Third St.

Board approves setback variance for vehicle storage at 952 N. Third St.