A day care has signed a lease to become the largest tenant of a northwest Lawrence office park.

Officials with Princeton Children’s Center confirmed they were in the process of receiving state licensing to operate a day care in the Art Executive Office Park, which is on the northeast corner of Kasold and Peterson drives.

The day care would be able to serve between 80 and 90 children when it opens later this month, said Michelle Kueser, director.

“For infant and toddler care, there just seems to be a real shortage in this town,” said Kueser, who previously was the director of Lawrence’s La Petite Academy on Sixth Street. “There are some people who are on huge waiting lists.”

The 7,700-square-foot day care is expected to be licensed to serve nine infants, Kueser said.

Anna Jenny, a manager with the nonprofit Douglas County Child Development Assn., said the center should fill a need for child-care services in the Lawrence area. Her office, which provides referrals to parents seeking care, estimates that about 5,000 of the 5,700 slots available in Douglas County are continually full, meaning new parents have limited options in choosing a child-care provider.

“I’m sure the market has room for another center,” Jenny said.

She said the center was unique because it would offer infant care, a service not offered by many other day cares because it requires extra staff.

Developers of the 30,000-square-foot office park are hoping the day care will help their property stand out in a crowded field of office developments in the city.

“We think it will be a good draw for us because we’ll be able to offer on-site day care for all the workers out there,” said Greg Cromer, a broker with American Real Estate and Investments. “You see that more in larger cities. Developers are trying to think more in the terms of accommodating the workers of the office park from the time they arrive to the time they leave. We’re trying to keep our mind open to the idea.

“Plus, it has been a soft market for the last two or three years, so we figure we’ll explore every option we can to enhance the office park.”

Cromer said the office park was close to landing a large medical services tenant, but wouldn’t disclose the name. If the deal is finalized, he said developers would begin construction on a new building that would add 20,000 square feet to the office park. Long-term plans call for an additional 35,000-square-foot building to be built at the site.

“We think the economy has started to turn around,” Cromer said. “We notice a lot more people from Topeka and Kansas City who are looking to expand into Lawrence. We think that’s a real good sign.”