A first step toward creating a special zoning overlay along Pendleton Pike was approved during the City of Lawrence Redevelopment Commission’s July meeting.

Commission members unanimously approved a contract with Indianapolis-based urban design and planning firm REA — Rundell Ernstberger Associates — to lead the planning process with the goal of drafting a plan that eventually will go before the Lawrence Common Council.

Lawrence Economic Development Director Keith Johnson told the commission that the city has been discussing a zoning overlay for Pendleton Pike for a long time and Mayor Deb Whitfield wanted to move forward with making it finally happen.

An overlay would allow the city to curate what kinds of businesses and uses are allowed within the zoning district.

“This is our key artery and gateway to the city,” Johnson said. “We will begin a process to look at the uses allowed and to consider new design standards and new allowed uses for future use along the Pike.”

Redevelopment Commission legal counsel Russell Brown explained the benefits of an overlay district.

“Instead of going in and changing, parcel by parcel the zoning that exists on those parcels, you go through and say, ‘Hey, these are the design standards that we want along here,’” he said. “So, any new construction improvements (or) expansions have to meet these new standards. We also would potentially consider eliminating certain uses.”

Brown noted that the overlay wouldn’t eliminate existing business. It would apply to future development.

“It is a tool utilized in a lot of places,” he said, “Almost every place that I practiced in the donut counties (surrounding Indianapolis), their main corridors, they have an overlay district that says, ‘These are the standards you’ll comply with. These are the uses we don’t want to see there and these are the things that we want,’ and so I think … the City of Lawrence would not be out of step with other communities if this were to be adopted.”

Brown said an overlay would give Lawrence more control over its own zoning, which is limited because the city’s zoning is primarily controlled by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission.

Johnson said creating an overlay will be a multistep process with opportunities for community engagement. In addition to the Common Council, any resulting plan would have to be approved by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission.

According to the contract, the process will take about nine months. The first phase, which involves research required to draft a plan, will last through October, resulting in a draft plan that will be reviewed and revised through January 2025. Adoption is expected by late April 2025.

The contracted cost for REA’s professional services is $37,000.

For more about REA, visit reasite.com.

The next Lawrence Redevelopment Commission meeting is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Aug. 22 at Lawrence Government Center, 9001 E. 59th St. Lawrence government meetings also are livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@visitlawrenceindiana; and Facebook page, facebook.com/cityoflawrencein.