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Council hears plan for Sunnyside–Oakland economic development area, refers designation to committee
Summary
The council heard a presentation on Resolution 8 to designate a Sunnyside-to-Oakland Economic Development Area as a first step toward potential TIF allocation; councilors requested more review and voted to send the resolution to the committee of the whole for further consideration.
The Lawrence Common Council received a presentation on Resolution 8 (2025), which would designate a Sunnyside-to-Oakland Economic Development Area stretching roughly from the Sunnyside–Pendleton Pike corner to Oakland and Pendleton Pike.
Russell Brown, attorney for Clark Quinn representing the redevelopment commission, said the resolution is the first step toward creating an economic development plan; it does not itself create a TIF allocation area or alter base assessed values. Brown said the commission preferred a single area that includes commercial parcels on both sides of parts of Pendleton Pike (excluding the Walmart parcel) so future allocation areas could be established under the plan if warranted.
Councilors asked detailed boundary questions, whether both sides of the street would be included, and why the council received notice before some public hearings. Brown said combining the public hearings was intended to save advertising costs (about $500 per hearing) and accommodate the redevelopment commission’s monthly meeting schedule. Several councilors said they wanted more time to digest the proposal.
A motion was made and a majority of councilors voted to assign Resolution 8 to the committee of the whole for further review rather than approving it at the meeting. The transcript records the assignment to committee; no roll-call vote tally appears in the transcript.
