Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider selling a downtown parking lot — for less than 10% of its appraised value — to affordable housing developers.
Merriam-based Cohen-Esrey Development Group has been planning to construct an apartment complex for folks ages 55 and up in space that is currently a parking lot at 711 New Hampshire St.
The lot is adjacent to multiple businesses, such as Java Break, The Bottleneck, Rudy’s Pizzeria, Genovese, Sinker’s Lounge, Leroy’s Tavern and more.
The 94 units of the proposed complex would be rent-controlled for at least 30 years, according to the city commission’s meeting agenda.
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The building would also include ground-floor commercial space — a “small neighborhood bodega, just over 3,000 square feet,” according to the agenda.
The lot is currently about 63% occupied on average, and the redevelopment would result in the loss of 74 public parking spaces, including two accessible spaces and two electric vehicle charging stalls, according to the meeting agenda.
“Parking analysis indicates that nearby on-street parking and the Riverfront Parking Garage have sufficient capacity to absorb displaced demand, and staff will continue to monitor parking conditions and make adjustments as needed,” according to the agenda.
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The Riverfront garage is a couple of blocks away near Sixth and New Hampshire streets.
“The City’s proposed contribution is limited to the sale and conveyance of the land for $100,000,” according to the agenda. “The proposed purchase price may be below the appraised value of $1,090,000 for the property; however, the developer has stated the offer is intended as a good-faith contribution to help offset transaction costs or other expenses the City may incur in connection with the sale.”
If commissioners sign off on the deal Tuesday, the city can still cancel the agreement if the developer does not close on a 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit financing for the project. However, Kansas Housing Resources Corporation already approved Cohen-Esrey for the financing in November.
The units would be affordable to people whose incomes are between 30% and 80% of the Area Median Income, according to the agenda. By “affordable,” the housing would not cost residents more than 30% of their monthly gross income.
Rents would range between $477 and $1,499, and the 94 units would include six studios, 73 one-bedroom and 15 two-bedroom units, according to a presentation in the meeting agenda.
The AMI is a value set each year by the federal government. For fiscal year 2026, the AMI for a household of one in Lawrence is $77,312 annually or $6,443 monthly.
For a household of one, 30% of the AMI would equate to an income of $23,193 annually or $1,933 monthly; 80% would equate to $61,850 annually or $5,154 monthly. Rents would be limited to no more than 30% of that, so it could be between about $580 and $1,546, depending on the resident’s income. For a household of two, 30% of the AMI would equate to $26,500 annually or $2,208 monthly; 80% would equate to $70,650 annually or $5,888 monthly. Rents could be between about $684 and $1,766.
An updated housing study has found that Lawrence needs more housing units of all kinds, especially for people with low incomes, to improve affordability. The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority has more than 300 seniors on its waiting lists, according to the presentation in the agenda.
Related post:
• Study: Lawrence needs more housing units to improve affordability, June 3, 2026
The developers could seek future tax breaks or financial assistance from the city to develop the complex, but Tuesday’s agenda item does not include approval of any incentives or other funds.
More than 1,000 people have signed a Change.org petition, “Stop the development at 711 New Hampshire (Free Lot 2) to Protect Downtown Lawrence Access.” The petition was started by Nouhad Captan, whose family owns two businesses nearby the parking lot.
Captan said his stance is that the parking lot is a public asset that’s been serving older people, children and “people with access issues,” as well as businesses.
“We don’t know what the implications of the loss is going to be yet, because this has been public land for so long, and I think once that shifts over to private, we’ll never be able to reap the benefits of, really, what this lot was intended to serve downtown,” Captan said.
He was concerned his family’s businesses and others nearby might not survive the potential construction period for the apartment complex.
If the complex moves forward, developers are proposing seven to 10 stalls for the retail space and 100 private stalls for resident parking, according to the agenda.
The appraised value of the lot, according to a May 22 appraisal in the meeting agenda, is $1.09 million. However, property tax documents on file with Douglas County indicate the value of the site dropped from about $1.06 million in 2023 to $606,450 in 2024 and sat at $629,200 at the beginning of the year.
The city has launched an Engage Lawrence page, available via engage.lawrenceks.gov, where people can see documents and ask questions about the project.
Meeting info
Update:
• Lawrence City Commission holds off on sale of downtown parking lot for affordable housing, June 10, 2026
Lawrence city commissioners will meet starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 9 at Lawrence City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
The meeting will open with 45 minutes of public comment, the first meeting under a changed format the commission approved last month, before they begin the regular meeting agenda. General public comment will be at the beginnings of the commission’s second meetings of each month.
The commission accepts written public comment emailed to [email protected] until noon the day of meetings. The commission also hears live public comment during meetings, both in person and virtually.
City commission meetings are no longer livestreamed on YouTube. In order to watch the meeting online remotely, attendees must join via Zoom at this link, which also allows participants to provide public comment virtually. Meeting recordings are uploaded to the city’s YouTube channel the next day.
See the commission’s complete meeting agenda at this link. See the 711 New Hampshire St. agenda item at this link.
Note: This article has been updated to add more information and details about the definition of affordability for the proposed development.
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