Commission forwards rezoning of 2000 Bluffs Drive from M‑2 to R‑3 to city commission to enable medium‑density housing

The Lawrence Planning Commission on April 21 voted to forward a recommendation to the City Commission to rezone the eastern portion of 2000 Bluffs Drive (the former Sallie Mae call center site) from M‑2 (mixed large neighborhood) to R‑3 (residential medium density).

Avery Kerner, planner, said the entire 2000 Bluffs Drive property is about 6.8 acres, and the rezoning request applies to the eastern portion (staff presented the figure as approximately 2.68 acres; the motion as read into the record used an approximate 2.86 acres). The owner and applicant representatives told the commission the request is intended to facilitate medium‑density housing on that portion of the lot and to avoid an M‑2 use standard that would require a significant share of nonresidential floor area as part of a mixed‑use development.

Kerner said the site lies along the West Sixth Street commercial corridor in an area with a mix of low‑ and high‑density residential and commercial uses; staff concluded the R‑3 district would provide an appropriate transition between higher‑intensity commercial uses and single‑family residences to the north. Staff recommended approval, noting the site has been unoccupied for several years and that rezoning would encourage infill housing consistent with Plan 2040 goals to maximize residential development opportunities within existing urban areas.

Applicant representative Dean Grove (Grove Engineering) and owner Richard King described site conditions: the parcel contains extensive existing parking from prior office use, portions of the property were recently used by people experiencing homelessness (the owners said they had cleared encampments and removed debris), and the site includes significant elevation changes that will be addressed in future site‑plan review. Grove said R‑3 still allows some mixed uses but does not carry M‑2’s requirement that a fixed share of floor area be nonresidential, which better fits the owner’s plan for residential development on the east side.

Public comment included a neighbor opposed to the rezoning because of concerns about scale and precedent and a nearby property owner who asked staff to relay a written objection; the commission heard a range of views and asked detailed questions about density, buffering, site‑plan notice procedures and fiscal impact language on the staff cover sheet. Kerner and staff clarified: the R‑3 district specifies a net density range (minimum 7, maximum 15 dwelling units per net acre as noted in the meeting), R‑3 height is 45 feet (M‑2 50 feet), and R‑1 (adjacent low‑density lots) allows 35 feet. Staff also explained that under the new land development code public notices for site plan submissions and rezoning are handled by city staff and that notices go to property owners within 400 feet and registered neighborhood associations.

A motion to approve the rezoning (recorded as: “Move approve the request to rezone Z‑25‑0004, approximately 2.86 acres located at 2000 Bluffs Drive from M‑2 District to R‑3 District based on the findings presented in staff report and forwarding the request to the city commission with a recommendation for approval.”) passed by unanimous voice vote. The commission forwarded the recommendation to the City Commission; final design, density and buffering will be determined at site‑plan review and subsequent permitting stages.

The transcript contains speaker attributions and the motion text as entered on the record; the article reports both staff and motion figures where the transcript shows them.