Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved a site plan for 15 row houses along an edge of the former Borders parking lot near Seventh and New Hampshire streets in downtown Lawrence.
Under the site plan, the 15 row houses will be built along the eastern edge of the former Borders parking lot with the address of 700 New Hampshire St., though the structure will actually be closer to Rhode Island Street. Each unit will have two parking spaces.
Paul Werner, of Paul Werner Architects, told commissioners that the developers plan to sell the 15 units, “as opposed to what we could argue maybe should be on the site” — a four- or five-story apartment building with 60 or 80 units, he said.
Read more background on the project in the articles linked below.
Neighbors raised numerous concerns in an appeal of city staff’s administrative decision to approve the site plan for the project.
Commissioners on Tuesday had to base their decision solely on whether the site plan was in line with city code.
Commissioner Lisa Larsen asked city staff members to review each of nine concerns that neighbors had raised. Planner Sandy Day and Deputy City Attorney Randy Larkin said none of the nine points made the site plan out of compliance with city code.
Many neighbors have vocally opposed the project in previous city meetings. More than a dozen speakers, including several neighbors, spoke to the commission on Tuesday, with several urging the commissioners to reject the development. Several more residents provided written comments to the commission.
Phyllis Payne, a neighbor who said she moved into the house at 702 Rhode Island St. when she was 10 years old, said that “This block is one of the few areas that still reflect Lawrence’s origin.” She said the project wouldn’t help with Lawrence’s affordable housing shortage.
KT Walsh, a resident who lives nearby, said neighbors were not properly notified of the project early in the process, and that she had passed out flyers about it herself.
However, Day said she had confirmed with a city employee who should have received a notice about the site plan that they did receive it.
Commissioners said they believed the site plan met the criteria necessary for them to vote to approve it, though Commissioner Amber Sellers voiced numerous concerns about the project, including the potential for people to purchase the units and use them as Airbnbs for profit.
They voted to approve the site plan 5-0.
There was no discussion Tuesday of any developments at the former Borders building.
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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.
More on 700 New Hampshire St.:
Row house project at 700 New Hampshire will move forward after Lawrence City Commission vote
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Nathan Kramer / Lawrence Times
