After the Lawrence (Kan.) school board raised objections, the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission has recommended denying a zoning change to allow a shooting range near a school.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the planning commission voted 4-2 to recommend denial of the request to rezone a vacant industrial building to house an indoor shooting range and a gun sales and repair shop.
The proposal will be sent to the City Commission for consideration.
The Lawrence College and Career Center is about 760 feet from the proposed site. Hundreds of students from the city's two high schools attend classes there. The vacant building also is adjacent to a proposed site for a Boys & Girls Club teen center, which will run an after-school program for about 300 middle and high school students.
School board members sent a letter to the city last week that cited safety concerns and expressed formal opposition to the rezoning. Boys & Girl Club representatives also expressed opposition.
The four planning commissioners who recommended denying the request cited the potential effect on the pubic health, safety and welfare, and compatibility of the proposed use with the character of the neighborhood.
