The planning commission has approved a request to rezone property near KU’s campus, another step toward plans to build the highest-density housing yet in the city.
Lawrence-Douglas County planning commissioners voted Wednesday to approve the rezoning request, which will go next to the Lawrence City Commission.
The properties included in the rezoning are the two Emery Place and one Coachman Apartments buildings at 1423 and 1433 Ohio St., the apartment building at 1430 Louisiana St., and a home at 1432 Louisiana St.
Altogether, the home and apartment buildings comprise 48 units (plus two that are currently condemned because of fire damage).
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The rezoning request would bump the zoning up to R-5, which does not yet exist in Lawrence. Allowing at least 33 units per acre, it’s the densest housing allowed under the city’s new land development code.
The Historic Resources Commission agreed last week to submit comment to the planning commission and the Lawrence City Commission indicating that they anticipate the proposed project, which is still forthcoming, will meet the Oread neighborhood design guidelines.
Lance Adams of Lawrence-based Adams Architects told the HRC last week it was likely that all four buildings would be demolished to construct a larger housing project on the 1.34 acres. He said part of the goal is to avoid annexing more of Douglas County into the city and keep density near the downtown district.
Also, “The developer of this area is not new to the apartment housing projects and is working very hard to make sure that we have at least enough parking spaces per bedroom that we’re considering for this area,” Adams told the HRC.
Demolishing any structures on the site would require future approvals down the road.
Read more from the HRC 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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