Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday are set to choose the location for the downtown Lawrence Transit station, and city staff members are recommending a parking lot in the 700 block of Vermont Street.
City lot No. 14 is at the northeast corner of Eighth and Vermont, across from the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County and the nearby Lawrence Public Library. The area has served as the de facto downtown bus hub for years, but the project in the works will add amenities for drivers and riders.
Five bus routes currently serve downtown. The main elements the city plans to include in the downtown station are driver restrooms, individual bus bays, next departure signs, sufficient seating, wind protection and weather protection canopies. Public restrooms are also a possibility. Plans also include security at the site from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.
The Downtown Transit Station Steering Committee and city staff members have worked over the course of this year to analyze possible sites. The other finalist was Lot No. 9, at the northwest corner of 10th and Vermont streets.
“Considering all factors, staff believes rider accessibility and parking conditions outweigh challenges with traffic and parade impacts” of selecting Lot 14, according to the meeting agenda item.
Choosing Lot 9 could exacerbate parking issues in that block, but the parking garage next to the library generally has “ample available parking” during the day and an estimated 10 parking spaces would also be reinstalled on Vermont Street, according to the agenda.
If commissioners choose Lot 14, the plan includes installation of a raised crosswalk near the parking garage.
If approved, the Kansas Department of Transportation will help the city complete necessary federal paperwork, and design for the station would begin in the latter half of 2025. Construction would begin in early 2026, and the station could be completed in the third quarter of 2026.
The cost of the station is estimated at $1.8 million, and the total project budget in Tuesday’s agenda is $2.03 million. About $1.6 million would come from federal funds, and the city would need to match $406,000, to come from local transit sales tax revenues.
Most commissioners indicated in November that they preferred Lot 14, though the lot would likely require a new curb cut and construction could disrupt the current bus stop once it’s in progress.
Tuesday’s meeting will likely be the public’s last chance to comment on the proposed location before the commission makes a final decision.
The Lawrence City Commission’s regular meeting will begin at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 17 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
Meetings are open to the public, broadcast on Midco channel 25 and livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@lawrenceksvideo. See the complete meeting agenda at this link.
The commission accepts written public comment until noon the day of the meeting emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org. The commission hears public comment in person during meetings as well as via Zoom. Register for Tuesday’s Zoom meeting 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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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
