Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved two requests to rezone properties in west Lawrence for the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority to construct affordable housing.
Tentative plans for about 6 acres of developments southwest of Research Park Drive and Legends Drive include seven fourplexes intended for seniors, and six eightplexes. One side of the project will have about 84 bedrooms, and the other will have about 96 bedrooms.
“We have to get past this idea that someone without, that needs a hand up, is less than us, and that they don’t deserve what some of us can afford without assistance,” Commissioner Amber Sellers said.
The planning commission voted 8-2 in favor of the rezoning request in April.
The red pin on the map is approximately in between the two properties, which are both adjacent to Lawrence Montessori School:
Shannon Oury, executive director of Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, spoke to the commission and addressed some concerns that people had raised in conversations with her and in written public comments.
She said one-third of the people LDCHA serves are disabled, and any housing voucher program participants who are not elderly or disabled have a work requirement or must be in school.
“There are currently over 100 Section 8 vouchers being used in this area of town,” Oury said. “They are your neighbors. We are your neighbors. You might not know it, but we are already your neighbors.”
Oury said LDCHA takes good care of its properties and works hard to maintain them well.
She said “affordable,” as defined to live in this housing, would mean households whose incomes are at or below 50% of the area median income. For a household of one, that would mean an income of up to $35,700 a year.
Commissioners approved both the rezoning requests 5-0, and they spoke in support of the project and its goals.
“This just follows along with our long-range plan for affordable housing across our community, and we need to continue to pursue projects like this, I believe,” Commissioner Lisa Larsen said.
See the complete agenda item at this link.
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Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
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