A new proposed development would replace a downtown parking lot with a six-story building comprising more than 100 units of affordable housing.
Merriam-based Cohen-Esrey Development Group’s plans consist of 115 affordable housing units, including 31 studios, 44 one-bedroom and 40 two-bedroom apartments, to be built in what is currently a parking lot at 711 New Hampshire St.
The development is in response to the city’s request for proposals for projects to redevelop three downtown parking lots.
All units would be designated for renters whose incomes are between 30% and 80% of the area median income. For a household of one, that’s currently a range from $21,450 to $57,150 per year. Units would remain affordable for at least 15 years, according to project documentation.
The building would include a fitness center, a community room, retail space and underground parking. Site plans indicate that the complex would have 82 parking spaces — equivalent to about half a parking space per bedroom.
The red pin on this map shows the location of the lot, just south of Java Break near Seventh and New Hampshire streets:
The project is contingent upon money from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation and Lawrence’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, revenues the city receives through the affordable housing sales tax.
The project is seeking $1 million from the trust fund, one of 14 projects to be considered at the Affordable Housing Advisory Board meeting on Wednesday. Its total estimated cost is about $37.4 million, according to the application.
If the project is awarded funds from KHRC and AHAB, final design work will begin immediately.
“While the development does not exclusively cater to a specific category or population, Cohen-Esrey is committed to collaborating with local programs and agencies to ensure housing opportunities for the most vulnerable members of the community,” Jon Atlas, managing director of the development group, wrote in the funding application.
Lawrence City Manager Craig Owens wrote a letter of support for the project to the KHRC, indicating that the developers are also asking for tax breaks in the form of a sales tax exemption for construction materials and a 10-year property tax abatement. Those tax breaks would be subject to approval from the city and other taxing entities.
Currently, the city still owns and is in control of the land, Atlas said.
If KHRC awards the project low-income housing tax credits, “the City of Lawrence will work with CEDG on transferring the land to the applicant through a land transfer agreement, subject to the Governing Body’s approval,” Owens’ letter states. The KHRC’s funding decisions are expected on Friday.
Construction would begin in late 2025, and the project would be completed by mid-2027, with leasing anticipated within six months of completion.
The application says the developers are committed to “involving stakeholders, neighborhood groups, and residents throughout the design process to ensure that the final outcome reflects the community’s needs and aspirations.”
Another project proposed in response to the city’s request for proposals to redevelop downtown parking lots would replace the lot at 826 Vermont St. — the largest parking lot downtown — with a Checkers grocery store, hotel, affordable housing and parking garage. The project would ultimately double the number of parking spots the lot currently has.
The third lot the city intends to redevelop is at 1020 Vermont St. Altogether, the three lots have 304 parking spaces, according to city documentation.
The city is also considering a parking lot in the 900 block of Vermont Street as a possible site for the downtown transit station; read more about that at this link.
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), a contributor to The Lawrence Times since April 2022, is a student at the University of Kansas School of Journalism. He is a graduate of Lawrence High School where he was the editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Budget, and was named the 2022 Kansas High School Journalist of the Year. Read his complete bio here. Read more of his work for the Times here.
— Reporter Mackenzie Clark contributed to this article.
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