Lawrence’s Historic Resources Commission on Thursday voted 2-2 against a plan to build 15 row houses next to the former Borders book store downtown.
The developers can appeal the denial to the Lawrence City Commission.
If the plans are ultimately approved, 15 row houses would be built along the eastern edge of the former Borders parking lot at 700 New Hampshire St., though the structure would actually be closer to Rhode Island Street.
The row houses would extend about halfway down the 700 block to the south. Each unit would have its own one-car garage, and the parking lot where it would be built would provide room for a second car or visitor for residents.
HRC members last month encouraged project developers to work with the Architectural Review Committee to come up with ways to differentiate the row houses to make them appear less “monolithic.”
The updated project returned to their agenda this month, and HRC members were asked to sign off.
Paul Werner of Paul Werner Architects shared some updates to the plans. The developers planned to build the units further back from Rhode Island Street; some units would be painted different colors; there’s some variance to roofs and balconies; and they’ve added bay windows, among other changes.
They created a rendering that showed red brick instead of gray bricks, though the developers would still prefer to use gray brick.
Werner said because the property is zoned for commercial development, single-family homes and duplexes would not be allowed.
He said developers thought this project would be a better alternative to an apartment building with double the number of units or more, which would also be allowed under its current zoning. The row houses would be like a transition between the commercial Borders building to the west and the single-family homes to the east.
Some neighbors who spoke during public comment said they felt the changes were not enough — the building would still be too tall and too big across the street from the single-family homes along Rhode Island Street. The historic homes in the 700 block include the Octavious W. McAllaster House at 724 Rhode Island St., which survived Quantrill’s Raid.
One public commenter who said he doesn’t live in the neighborhood spoke in favor of the creation of new housing and said aesthetic concerns shared during this process can be allowed to outweigh the need for housing.
HRC Vice Chair Brenna Buchanan said in order for the HRC to keep a stake in the project and have any say in final tweaks to the design details and materials, they would need to approve giving the project a certificate of approval on the condition that the developer continue working with the ARC.
“I think this is the right developer at the right time, the right project,” she said, asking the three other commissioners present to come to a consensus that the plans were close and other details could get hashed out through the rest of the process.
But the vote was 2-2, with HRC members Buchanan and David Dearborn in favor and Jeanne Klein and Phil Cunningham opposed. HRC Chair Joy Coleman had to leave the meeting early and was not present to vote. A tied vote is a denial, said Lynne Braddock Zollner, historic resources administrator.
The developers may choose to appeal that decision to the Lawrence City Commission. If they do, Buchanan told other HRC members that “We’re out of it,” and the design could be approved as it was submitted to the HRC.
There are still no firm plans for the nearby Borders building. Werner said developers thought the row houses seemed like a good complement to use the “huge parking lot” that he said isn’t serving any good purpose right now.
“We want to do something with Borders. It has been vacant for 13 years. If somebody has a great idea, I wish they’d bring it forward,” Werner said.
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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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