Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider issuing bonds for the KU Gateway Project for tax breaks that they approved last year.
The Gateway Project includes the renovation of the KU football stadium and construction of a conference center and a large mixed-use district next to the stadium, which will hold an outdoor plaza, hotel, student housing, parking and retail space.
The Gateway project is estimated to cost about $808.7 million, with about 75% funded with money from university donors, KU Athletics and private debt.
The city commission approved up to $94.6 million in local tax incentives in August 2025. The rest of the project’s funding comes from state and federal dollars.
Don’t miss a beat … Click here to sign up for our email newsletters
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
The majority of the city’s public funding for the project comes from STAR bonds, which stands for Sales Tax and Revenue bonds. These bonds direct new sales taxes generated across campus for up to 20 years toward the Gateway Project.
Please support
The Lawrence Times!
Subscribe here.
Plus, a community improvement district for the project means most of the campus is subject to an additional 2% sales tax for about two decades.
A tax increment financing plan will also direct increases in property tax revenue at the stadium toward the project.
20250812-KU-stadium-tax-breaks-districtsCommissioners said the project could be a major economic driver for the city when they approved the public funding last year.
On Tuesday, the commission will vote to issue bonds for the community improvement district and STAR bonds. That means the city will borrow money from private investors and direct that money to the Gateway Project. That debt will be repaid with revenue from the increased sales taxes, property taxes and new CID sales tax. Neither the city nor KU would be required to pay back the bonds if the tax incentives don’t generate enough new revenue.
In October, commissioners approved an amendment to the development agreement that allowed the issuance of bonds before KU provides the final maximum price of the hotel.
Susie Carson, the city’s economic development director, said KU anticipates having the final price details for the hotel in June 2027. She said KU has reported an agreement to put a Marriott hotel on the property, but final details are still being discussed.
The city, though, wants to proceed with issuing the bonds to not delay the development.
Bond money for the hotel will be held by a third party until details for the hotel are finalized.
Meeting info
The commission’s meeting will start at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
See the complete meeting agenda at this link.
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.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
Cuyler Dunn (he/him), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2022. He can be reached at [email protected].
Read his complete bio at this link. Read more of his work for the Times at this link.
More about the KU football stadium project:
Latest Lawrence news:
Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
