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Lawrence adopts new land development code and official zoning map, effective April 1
Summary
The Lawrence City Commission adopted ordinance No. 10093 (land development code) and ordinance No. 10094 (official zoning map) on second and final reading Jan. 14, 2025. Commissioners said amendments may be brought before the April 1 effective date and a second round of edits is planned later in the year.
The Lawrence City Commission on Jan. 14, 2025 voted to adopt two ordinances on second and final reading: ordinance No. 10093, the November 12, 2024 edition of the city's land development code, and ordinance No. 10094, the official zoning map for the City of Lawrence. The motions passed by voice vote, 4-0, with Commissioner Larson absent.
The vote enacts a new Chapter 20 of the Code of the City of Lawrence establishing comprehensive zoning and other land-use regulations. Vice Mayor Finkelstein moved to adopt the ordinances and Commissioner Littlejohn seconded the motions.
Why it matters: the new code and map set the rules for land use and zoning regulation in Lawrence and will guide development, permitting and related reviews across the city once they take effect on April 1. Commissioners and staff emphasized there will be opportunities to make changes before the effective date and to undertake additional rounds of amendments later in the year.
Commissioners and staff described the Jan. 14 actions as the second and final reading but not the end of the revision process. "There'll still be the opportunity to go ahead and make modifications, and I believe it won't go into effect until April 1st," Vice Mayor Finkelstein said during the meeting. Meredith (staff member) added: "The plan is to take up any changes or edits before it goes into effect. That's round 1. And then we'll plan to do a round 2 later in the year."
Commissioners also discussed scheduling next steps: staff said the planning commission is expected to review components in February and the city commission would take up any amendments in March ahead of the April 1 effective date. That scheduling was raised during the commission's future-agenda discussion after the ordinances were adopted.
Votes at the meeting were recorded by voice and announced as passing 4-0 with Commissioner Larson absent; no roll-call vote with individual member yea/nay records was recorded in the transcript. The motions that passed on second and final reading were moved by Vice Mayor Finkelstein and seconded by Commissioner Littlejohn.
What remains next: staff and commissioners indicated they will accept and consider amendments before April 1 and plan a subsequent, broader round of edits later in 2025. The planning commission review in February and a possible March city commission item were discussed as the near-term schedule for additional public hearings and formal action.
No legal challenges, contract awards, or budgetary funding tied directly to the ordinances were recorded in the Jan. 14 transcript. Any future amendments or implementing actions will be scheduled and noticed according to the commission's normal agenda process.
