STATEMENT OF POSITION ON GROWTH, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT IN MANHATTAN AND RILEY COUNTY (2002, incorporating positions on Sidewalks (1984) and Bikeways for Manhattan (1974); printed in the VOTER in 1998, revised from 1989 and 1977)

The League of Women Voters of Manhattan/Riley County, Kansas supports policies that achieve the following objectives:
1. Promote growth, planning and development that assure quality of life for future generations;
2. Preserve and improve the core of Manhattan - its downtown business district, its historic buildings, its older residential neighborhoods, and its social and cultural services;
3. Provide diversity of housing for all income levels, family sizes and individual abilities;
4. Conserve energy and protect natural resources;
5. Assure multiple modes of transportation for all persons regardless of age, ability or income level;
6. Ensure fiscally sound local governments;
7. Establish clear urban and rural boundaries;
8. Include sustainability as a criterion in all planning documents and decision-making;
9. Require annexation of any new area into a municipality prior to urban development;
10. Foster timely and meaningful citizen participation in all planning and development decisions.

The League strongly supports growth and development within the city limits as the best means to achieve these objectives. We support growth and development beyond these boundaries when:

1. It is within the Manhattan urban area as defined by the Manhattan Urban Area Planning Board;
2. It is geographically balanced and supports preserving the core of the city;
3. The cost of growth beyond existing city boundaries is borne by those who will reside, work or own property in the new area; and
4. Such growth supports all of the above objectives.

In order to achieve these objectives the League supports actions that:

1. Encourage growth within present service structures;
2. Discourage sprawl and encourage in-fill;
3. Require that developers bear the costs of growth beyond existing city boundaries;
4. Enforce existing codes and regulations;
5. Adhere to all existing master plans and regularly update the plans to incorporate current values and priorities of citizens;
6. Ensure quality low and moderate cost housing throughout the city;
7. Increase the availability of ADA accessible housing throughout the city;
8. Promote, design and provide infrastructure, such as sidewalks, bikeways and public transit, that enable mobility for all who live, work or visit the city;

Wherever possible, public sidewalks should be installed on both sides of all local, collector, and arterial streets. Where frontage roads are constructed, sidewalks should be installed on the side of frontage roads away from the adjacent arterial or collector streets; a) Sidewalks should be a minimum of four feet wide and should be located a minimum of six feet from the curb on local or residential streets. Additional setbacks may be required on collector and arterial streets b) Sidewalk designs should be required and included with street designs in plats of new subdivisions. Sidewalks should extend from curb to curb of intersecting streets and should be constructed either at the time of paving of the adjacent streets or at the time of construction on individual lots abutting on the adjacent streets c) All petitions for street improvements in existing neighborhoods should include provisions for sidewalk installation or repair or upgrading. Payment for sidewalks should be included in the Benefit District for the street repair d) Petitions for sidewalk construction independent of street repair by 51 percent or more of the property owners in an existing neighborhood should require sidewalk construction in that neighborhood. Payment should be by Benefit District to the adjacent property owners

The adoption of a comprehensive bikeway system which will satisfy the needs of our community, providing safe and efficient transportation routes to schools, places of employment, and shopping and recreation areas is supported;

To ensure the safety of the rider the system should: a) be well designed and well marked b) provide for an education program for all citizens c) include the enforcement of traffic laws d) The system should provide the most direct routes possible using existing roadways, sidewalks, and/or contracted bike paths with parking facilities available at terminal points. A citizen's group, including experienced bicyclists, should be established to plan and develop the system, and see that it is implemented e) Bicyclists should have the same rights as the drivers of other vehicles and be subject to the same regulations. Funding should include both public and private sources of revenue to implement and maintain the system

9. Promote retrofitting existing buildings for conservation and preservation;
10. Strengthen existing neighborhoods and commercial areas through appropriately designed and scaled developments;
11. Preserve green space and assure adequate open space in new development;
12. Require consideration of aesthetics in planning, including corridors and entrances to the city;
13. Ensure timely and meaningful citizen participation in all planning and development decisions; and
14. Encourage regional cooperative planning that involves all appropriate governmental entities.