City officials are considering eliminating more than 300 downtown Lawrence parking spaces to build mixed-use buildings that could include a bus hub, a grocery store, affordable housing and more.
The specifics are yet to be determined, but the city has posted a request for information, or RFI, seeking proposals for projects to redevelop one or more of three downtown lots.
The three lots mentioned in the RFI — all of which currently allow two-hour free parking — are 826 Vermont St., Lot 3, the largest parking lot downtown; 711 New Hampshire St., Lot 2; and 1020 Vermont St., Lot 10.
Altogether, the lots have 304 parking spaces, according to documentation from the city.
City staff members had also considered the lot at 825 New Hampshire St., Lot 4, but it was not included in the RFI. Lawrence city commissioners agreed during their Aug. 15 meeting that they did not want to look at redeveloping both Lots 3 and 4.
The RFI is seeking proposals for projects but does not give a great deal of specificity for what the city is seeking. It invites developers who have “proven experience in mixed-use residential, retail, or Class-A office development” to submit proposals that “must be for mixed-use projects and may include plans for a single property or multiple properties.”
It touches on some of the ideas the commissioners discussed in August, however, as potential “public benefits” that could see incentives from the city.
Commissioner Brad Finkeldei asked during that meeting if it might be possible to use any of the lots as bus hubs. He mentioned a project he had seen in another city that had a bus hub and retail on the ground level, a parking garage above that, and then a few floors of apartments on top.
Adam Weigel, the city’s parking and transit manager, said the city has a $1.6 million state grant matched with local money, and the city has $2 million committed to a downtown bus station. He said staff members expect it would be a partnership with a private developer to make that happen on any of these lots. Even with the new central transit hub nearing completion, Weigel said the city still needs space for five bus bays downtown.
Vice Mayor Bart Littlejohn said he would love to have a downtown grocery store, and that he liked the concept Finkeldei had mentioned.
Commissioner Courtney Shipley agreed that a grocery store or bus hub would be her top priorities, and that any residential development should include a good percentage of affordable housing. She also said she thought there was room to reimagine the streetscape of New Hampshire or Vermont Street as well as the parking lots.
Commissioner Amber Sellers said she thought Lot 3 (826 Vermont St.) could be ideal for a bus bay, parking garage and grocery store combination. She said an outdoor space that is covered would be good for a permanent farmer’s market space that could also potentially be used for downtown events.
Mayor Lisa Larsen said there’s been more interest recently in small, niche-type businesses, and a commercial retail space with smaller spaces could give small businesses opportunities. She also said she wanted to maintain as much parking as possible.
Britt Crum-Cano, director of economic development, said if the city asks a developer to maintain surface parking or add underground parking at any of the sites, it could likely involve subsidies from the city, because the developers won’t get any benefit from the parking.
Commissioners generally agreed that Lot 10 (1020 Vermont St.) seemed a little too far south for a grocery store, as it was getting closer to Dillons at 17th and Massachusetts streets. However, they thought it might be a good fit for a permanent location for the Lawrence Farmer’s Market and possibly affordable housing.
City Manager Craig Owens told the commission he thinks there will be a strong response from developers. More than a dozen firms had already sought further information within a few days of the RFI going online.
In evaluating proposals, city staff members will prioritize a “vision that incorporates elements of an attractive pedestrian environment”; projects that incorporate sustainable design elements, including green building features; tenant letters of recommendation or commitment for retail or office uses; projects incorporating public benefits such as a grocery store or affordable housing; and compensation for the land purchase from the city, among other factors, according to the RFI.
The idea of redeveloping the lots stems from recommendations in the downtown master plan. Meanwhile, other fairly new mixed-use developments around town have open retail space, such as the first floor of Proxi Lawrence apartments at 1401 W. 23rd St. Another 50,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space is planned at The Crossing at KU, where construction is well underway. And a developer is planning retail space — possibly a grocery store — on the first floor of the New Hampshire Street Lofts, an affordable housing project geared toward people ages 55 and up that is slated for the long-vacant lot at 1000 New Hampshire St.
Proposals are due Jan. 16, 2024, and staff members plan to deliver a shortlist of proposals to the Lawrence City Commission for consideration on March 12, 2024.
Here’s the full RFI:
20231101-REDEVELOPMENT-OF-SELECT-CITY-DOWNTOWN-PARKING-LOTS-FOR-MIXED-USE-rIf our local journalism matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
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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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