Planning commission backs Florent Hill affordable-housing proposal at Bob Billings Parkway and K-10; forwards comp-plan amendment and rezoning with conditions

The Lawrence and Douglas County Joint Metropolitan Planning Commission on Feb. 26 advanced a multi-part proposal to allow a large affordable-housing project at the southeast corner of Bob Billings Parkway and K-10 Highway. The commission voted to forward a comprehensive plan amendment to change the site’s future land use designation, recommended approval of two rezoning requests, and approved a preliminary plat and two related variances with conditions.

City/county planner Mary Miller told commissioners the city commission had previously purchased the land and later donated it to Tenants to Homeowners to enable affordable-housing development. Miller said the proposed amendment to the West of K-10 plan would change the future land-use designation from “general public and institutional use and medium density” to “medium density residential and neighborhood-scale commercial.” She said approvals for the comprehensive plan amendment must be granted by the planning commission, the Lawrence City Commission and the Douglas County Commission for the map change to take effect.

The rezoning requests would convert roughly 12.5 acres to RM12 multi-dwelling and about 1 acre to RM12-D (the duplex-type variant). Miller…