Continuing Advocacy to Strengthen Our Neighborhood
1981: Worked with City Planning to create the Brook Creek Neighborhood Plan. It calls for most of Brook Creek to be low-density residential, kept at 75% single-dwelling lots.
1996: Fought off a proposal by Douglas County to locate a new County Jail north of 12th St., in what we call the Nature Area Woods.
1996: Made an agreement with the City Parks & Recreation Department that the Nature Area Woods will be kept natural and never developed.
1998: Convinced the City to rezone four square blocks from RM-1 apartment zone to RS-2 single-dwelling zone, thus preserving Historic Haskell Row, and stabilizing single-dwelling zoning in Brook Creek.
1998: Fought off a proposal by USD497 to close East Heights School and to use the site for the School District printing facility and warehouse.
1999: Initiated traffic calming in Lawrence, and convinced the City Commission to designate a 20mph speed limit for all streets north of 15th and east of Haskell Ave.
2002: BCNA asked the City Commission to rename the creek on our west boundary from the “ATSF Ditch” to “Burroughs Creek”.
2004: A neighborhood resident got the Federal government to officially change the name of the “ATSF Ditch” to “Burroughs Creek”.
2004: After mature woodlands on the S.W. corner of 15th and Haskell were bulldozed, we blocked multi-dwelling zoning and achieved single-dwelling zoning instead.
2004: Initiated the Burroughs Creek Corridor Plan, which was completed in 2006, creating the Burroughs Creek Linear Park and Trail.
2004: Convinced the City Commission to deny a permit for a large homeless shelter and soup kitchen at Haskell Ave. and Lynn St.
2005: Documented the illegal building modifications at 1246 Haskell Ave. and the illegal use by a pest control business, and got the City to enforce the zoning code.
2005: Several residents got a house mover to move the historic Oliver Hanscomb house from 1503 Haskell Ave. to 1313 Haskell Ave., helping to stabilize historic “Haskell Block”.
2013: After a seven year battle, we forced the illegal industrial salvage yard at 12th and Haskell Ave., euphemistically called the “Recycle Center”, to cease and desist and move north of 11th St. to an industrially zoned property.
2013: Collaborated with Struct/Restruct to reinvent the 12th & Haskell junkyard into residential lots, open space, and their own construction offices.
2014: Launched a legal protest petition against a Verizon microwave tower proposal at Bullene Ave. near La Salle St., right next to homes and the Burroughs Creek Trail, convincing the City Commission to deny it.
2015: Unanimously voted to oppose the widening of East 19th St. from 22 feet to 47 feet, and connect it to O’Connell Rd. in Venture Business Park.
2016: Set up the 19th Street Neighborhoods Coalition with the neighborhoods of: Barker, University Place, Schwegler, and Centennial to oppose widening of East 19th St. from 22 feet to 47 feet, connected to O’Connell Rd.
Click here for a story about the old Woodland Park roller coaster that used to be in the neighborhood.
Brook Creek Neighborhood Association 