On Oct. 27, the Historic Resources Commission pondered a proposal for a major development project at 900 N.H. The project would include a hotel (Marriott Towne Place Suites chain), apartments, a large restaurant and supposedly a market (no contracts have been signed). The proposal was submitted by Treanor Architects, but is backed by developer Doug Compton, in partnership with Mike Treanor.

The commission was evaluating the proposal because it falls within the environs of the Downtown Historic District, North Rhode Island Street National Historic District, Shalor Eldridge Residence and the Social Service League, all protected as historical places by either the National Register of Historic Places or the comparable Kansas Register. The commission held a lengthy hearing, in which commissioners debated and many local residents made comments (all negative) regarding the proposal.

In the end, the commission could not bring itself to defer a decision because its Architectural Review Committee did not consider the project “fixable,” principally given its prodigious height and mass abutting historical properties. So, the commission voted to deny the proposal. Hence, the HRC indicated clearly that the proposal would encroach upon and compromise the historical integrity of the nearby downtown and residential areas.

However, the proposers were pleased; they indicated that they would take their proposal to the Lawrence City Commission, and get the decision bypassed. The City Commission must hold a public hearing and decide either to uphold the HRC decision or to grant an exception.

I suggest that the facts weighing against the project are many. The building is six stories high, the fourth large, ugly building in a four-block area. It will circulate traffic through the narrow alley, intruding into the nearby residential neighborhood. The building will shade residences and gardens all along the west side of Rhode Island Street, certainly spelling an end to the Percolator gallery and Social Service League. The large-scale construction will damage the delicate historic structures to the east. Lawrence is saturated on hotel room space already.

The list of problems is long and multidimensional. The HRC stated clearly that the project would compromise Lawrence’s rich historic legacy, and nearby communities would be fragmented. Note that the sister project to this one, at 901 N.H., is already shading out the once-popular outdoor seating areas at Z’s Divine and the Bourgeois Pig.

Now, the City Commission must decide whether “feasible and prudent alternatives” exist, and whether all possible planning has been done to mitigate effects on the listed property. Many feasible and prudent alternatives exist: a medium-scale supermarket that could serve East Lawrence and North Lawrence, townhomes that conserve some green space, etc. What is more, “all possible planning” has not been done. The proposers have not even met with concerned parties in East Lawrence, save for one meeting where residents asked for a broader public meeting that was never organized. Clearly, the proposers have neither considered alternatives, nor attempted to mitigate the consequences of their plans.

The point is that this project is designed simply to maximize profit. Previous Compton projects set precedents: a large-scale project is put on the table and shoved down Lawrence’s throat. Anyone getting in the way is ignored or pushed aside, but the project gets completed. Witness the unexplained fire that consumed a run-down home on Tennessee Street, opening the way for a Compton development there (Journal-World, Jan. 1, 1999). The present project is proposed for an important edge area of downtown, so very real conflict between development and residential concerns will certainly ensue if the City Commission does not deny this proposal.

So, the City Commission has a decision to make. The project will damage Lawrence’s valued historical resources and vibrant neighborhoods and downtown. The project is development for development’s sake; it ignores completely the well-being of the areas that surround it. Excellent and quite feasible alternatives exist, but no effort has been expended to explore them. I urge the City Commission not to cave in to powerful business interests. Lawrence should develop, but more slowly and intelligently, with the good of all in mind.