Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider an appeal of an advisory board’s decision not to allow a lot in the Oread neighborhood to be split to accommodate construction of a duplex.
There is currently a home on two lots that run east to west at 1030 Maine St., the northeast corner of Maine Street and Fambrough Drive/West 11th Street.
The home runs north and south across roughly the eastern halves of both lots. The property owner, Stadium22 LLC, wants to build a duplex on the western half of the lots.
These show the current lots and the proposed lots:
The city’s Historic Resources Commission voted against the plan on June 15, and the property owner is appealing to the Lawrence City Commission, which will have the final say.
City staff members are recommending the commission uphold the HRC’s denial.
“The Historic Resources Commission found that the proposed project to create a new lot for the property for the construction of a duplex did not meet the intent of the Oread Neighborhood Design Guidelines for District 1 and denied the project on a vote of 4-3,” according to the meeting agenda.
The HRC in September 2022 had approved the division of the lots if the west lot was to be used for a new single-family home, but a duplex would not comply with the Oread neighborhood design guidelines.
“Historically lots in this area were designed to support single family structures that face the streets. When the Oread Design Overlay District was established, there was strong desire by neighborhood residents to protect the feel and character of the district by maintaining the scale of the existing houses,” the agenda item states.
Commissioners and city staff in recent years have emphasized the importance of infill development and working to alleviate Lawrence’s housing shortage.
The Lawrence City Commission will begin its regular meeting at approximately 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, July 18 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. Commissioners will meet for an executive session (meaning behind closed doors) starting at 5 p.m. See the full meeting agenda at this link.
Commissioners will also consider a “safe haven” ordinance to enhance protections for transgender and gender-nonconforming people. Read more about that in this article.
The commission accepts written public comment until noon the day of the meeting emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org. People may also provide public comment during the meeting in person at City Hall or via Zoom. Register for the Zoom meeting at this link.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark (at) lawrencekstimes (dot) com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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