Members of Lawrence’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board are recommending that $500,000 in city funding go toward a 121-unit project on the western edge of town.
They divided the remaining $700,000 of the $1.2 million in funds available this year among several other projects.
AHAB members annually consider applications, typically from developers and local nonprofit agencies, seeking a portion of the city’s affordable housing trust funds to help pay for projects. The funds come from a city sales tax, which voters in November 2024 doubled to also support homelessness initiatives.
AHAB members agreed that a proposal from Floret Hill checked all their boxes.
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The proposal is for 121 affordable units with a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units in three-story multifamily units, two-story residential townhomes with garages, and two-story townhomes.
The city donated some of the land where the project is planned, just southeast of the interchange of Bob Billings Parkway and Kansas Highway 10, to Tenants to Homeowners. The project has been in the works for the past few years, and all necessary zoning changes have been approved.
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The units will all be permanently affordable, according to the application. Some housing developments are only affordable for a fixed length of time, often 30 years, before units go to market rate.
The term “affordable” may seem subjective, but it’s defined by numbers in this context. AMI is the area median income, a value set each year by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development used to determine someone’s eligibility for affordable housing.
This year, the AMI for a household of four in Lawrence is $103,500. “Affordable” housing under government standards consumes no more than 30% of a household’s income.
The Floret Hill project will target people with incomes between 30% and 60% of the AMI. For a household of one, that would equate to an annual income between $21,750 and $43,500; for a household of four, that would be a household income between $31,050 and $62,100.
Rents qualifying as “affordable” for those income levels would range from a low of about $550 per month for a household of one to about $1,550 for a household of four.
The project developers requested $800,000. The board voted to fund $500,000 of that amount. The project is estimated to cost about $39 million altogether.
According to the application, construction is set to begin in February 2026, with completion expected in April 2027.
Among other projects:
• For the second year in a row, the board recommended about $200,000 less in funding than the Douglas County Housing Stabilization Collaborative requested, this year settling on $150,000 of the $350,000 requested. The organization provides emergency rental and utilities assistance so people can remain housed in Douglas County. Last year, AHAB gave the program $200,000.
“This is a good program; this is the wrong place to fund it,” board member Monte Soukup said.
• The board agreed to $180,000 in funds for Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority to construct two tiny homes. They also recommended $75,000, the full request, for the New Horizons Transitional Housing Program, which serves families experiencing homelessness in Douglas County with rental assistance and case management.
• The board is recommending $25,000, the full request of the Senior Resource Center for Douglas County, which uses funds on a rolling basis to support safe and accessible housing for seniors with low incomes by helping with modifications such as grab bars, entry ramps, wider doorways and more.
• A proposal from Cohen-Esrey for 711 New Hampshire St. was not recommended for any of the $1 million it sought. AHAB members thought the application was too vague, and they had concerns about the design and accessibility for the older people it aims to serve.
Some board members wanted to ask further questions of one of the applicants who was online during the meeting, or possibly take public comment before they finalized their recommendations, but Chair Christina Gentry said she felt confident in the board.
“I feel as though there’s been deep conversations as a board,” Gentry said. “We have reviewed and reviewed this, and we’ve also taken public comment.”
The board’s recommendations will go next to the Lawrence City Commission for final consideration and a vote.
Here’s the breakdown of the applicants, their project titles, the amount of funds they requested and the board’s recommended funding:
20251113-AHAB-recommendationsSee full applications and details about all projects in the AHAB meeting agenda 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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