Note: The Lawrence Times runs opinion columns and letters to the Times written by community members with varying perspectives on local issues. These pieces do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Times staff.
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I write as an optimistic Lawrence resident who believes that our community’s challenges can serve as catalysts for deeper, more inclusive progress. Although we face issues in housing, property taxes, and slow economic growth, we have a tremendous opportunity to improve the daily lives of our residents and empower local businesses to grow.
The Panasonic development and the expected influx of new visitors and dollars from the World Cup are two emerging events that signal a time of opportunity for the Lawrence community. The new Land Development Code opens the door to more affordable housing and commercial opportunities. We must also work to welcome new employers by identifying where we want to grow and by removing friction from our internal processes which add costs that impact us all.
We must continue to hold the line against increases in residential taxes but also acknowledge that we cannot cut our way to prosperity. To move forward, we must embrace opportunity and invest in our future. By supporting the expansion of existing businesses and by attracting new employers, we can create jobs, increase our tax base and ultimately ease the pressure on residential property taxpayers.
Let’s prioritize policies that ensure our community’s progress is to the benefit of every Lawrence resident and ensure we are ready to capture the opportunities in the coming decade. Economic prosperity coupled with housing affordability and availability is an outcome we can all achieve together.
— Gary Rexroad, Lawrence
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