4 Friday, April 20, 1979 University Daily Kansan Lawrence-Douglas planning board strives to control growth of city By LORILINENBERGER Staff Writer Most of the 10 members of the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission take it for granted that Lawrence is going to be a metropolitan city. their chief concern, they say, is keeping that growth under control to avoid urban sprawls similar to those found in Los Angeles. Lawrence has a population of 54,000. Its population is expected to increase to 62,500 by the year 2000. "I think it's a fact, especially financially, that you are either choosing or you are losing ground," he said. "I don't want Lawrence HE SAID HE thought growth in Lawrence was inevitable because of the many types of opportunities the city presented. Jack Rader, another planning commissioner, agreed with Booth. Rader said he was somewhat liberal on the issue of Lawrence "ILawrence has to grow because of all it has to offer," he said. "It's very attractive to Kansas City and Topeka. People are going to work here." Rader also said that commercial and industrial developers found Lawrence attractive because of its location, its potential for growth and its ability to connect with the community. Jane Cormbest, planning commission chairman, said she accepted the fact that Lawrence was going to grow in population, but that expansion of the city limits should be avoided whenever possible. "I BELIEVE that potential growth should be accommodated," she said. "We should not close Lawrence off to people. But we must make the best use of the land inside the city limits now because it's cheaser." Planning Commissioner Johanna Kollmorgen agreed. "Change is always inevitable," she said. "You have to make arrangements for what the times call for. "But we have to beware of annexations for everything that comes in. We already have quite a bit of land going for commercial purposes." Only one planning commissioner, Dean Harvey, opposed future growth in Lawrence. Harvey, who is a farmer, has served on the board. He said he thought Lawrence already had expanded too quickly and that future growth should be checked. "IN ORDER to become a large city, we're going to lose too much of our agricultural land," he said. "We'd be in a real mess, then." Four other members of the commission did not express approval or disapproval of future Lawrence growth, although all said they favored controlled growth. Planning Commissioner Kurt Van Achen refused to comment. Planning commissioners control growth through zoning, rezoning and annexation recommendations. In the next month, the views on growth of the planning commissioners will be tested when they face the issue of the proposed regional shopping mail to be built on 60 acres of land recently annexed by the city. The land is at 31st Street and Armstrong Road. THE PLANNING commission, in an 8-2 vote, recommended to the city commission two months ago that the land be annexed. Its next decision will recommend whether that land should be zoned for development. The city commission has the final vote on zoning. Others argue that Lawrence needs better and more shopping alternatives, especially with the expected growth in population. Most of the planning commissioners appeared hesitant to voice an opinion on the subject. Five members and they had not made up their minds yet. Some citizens and local businessmen say the mail would detract from downtown business and it eventually could cause its complete RADER ACKNOWLEDGED that the mall could present problems for downtown Lawrence merchants, but he said he would accept them. "I haven't made a decision on the mail yet," he said. "I think it poses a problem for the downtown. But as Lawrence continues to work with the city, I don't see a problem." "I just don't know if now is the time for the mall or if five years from now would be better." Booth said he thought the developer of the proposed mall, Jacob, Viscounti, & Jacock of Cleveland, Ohio, would carry the burden of the project. "The developer has a heck of a selling job to do," he said. "The mall would be a tremendous impact on the Lawrence community. If the developer can sell the idea, then it will be good for Lawrence." THREE MEMBERS of the planning commission, Kolmorlmont, Combesat and Margaret McKinney, expressed disapproval of the Their disapproval stems largely from the fact that they think Plan '95, a comprehensive planning guide for Lawrence adopted in 1977, advises against a regional shopping mall in the Lawrence area. Combest said she thought Lawrence did not serve all segments of the market efficiently, but that a regional shopping mall would not have to. "Lawrence is an excellent market for college clothes and tacos," she said. "But it really not a complete market. "Plan '95 would not recommend a regional mail, though it says we have a central business district (downtown) that supposed to support our operations." KOLLMORGEN SAID she agreed with the guidelines presented in Plan '95 and said she would not support the mail. McKinney said she thought the mall would be detrimental to the downtown businesses and would cause them either to move out to the suburbs. "If that happened, all the area surrounding downtown that's so attractive right now would really be life," she said, "a lot of people are going to miss it." "I don't think you can support the regional mall without thinking of the many ramifications it could have." One commissioner, Harvey, said he was in favor of the proposed mall because he thought Lawrence did not adequately serve the HE ALSO said he hoped the mall would help keep the money in Lawrence that was being spent in shopping malls in Topeka and Harvey said he did not think the proposed mall would significantly harm the downtown. Von Achen refused to comm Members of the planning commission serve three year terms and may not serve more than two full terms. Fire commissioners are appointed by the county commission and five are appointed by the city commission. TWO LOCATIONS NEAR CAMPUS New KODAK EKTRAMAX Camera Outfit THE SUPER CAN-DO! 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