Planners looking at trading some downtown parking spots for additional bicycle parking; Alvamar redevelopment recommended for approval by planning commissioners

photo by: Mike Yoder

Two dozen bicycles were spotted parked on or near Massachusetts Street around 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015.

Maybe it is time to start trading some car parking spots in downtown Lawrence for some bicycle parking spots. Maybe it is time for me to start wearing my cowboy hat and chaps when riding a bike to downtown. There is an idea floating around that could lead to both scenarios.

I’m talking about bike corrals. If you are not familiar with the concept, bike corrals basically are big bike racks that take over an on-street parking spot rather than being placed on a crowded sidewalk. (I’ve now discovered you don’t have to wear traditional corral apparel to use these. I’ve also discovered chafing.)

City planners are actively considering the idea of placing some bike corrals in downtown Lawrence. Yes, that would mean there would be fewer car parking spots in downtown.

“A lot of communities are finding that it is a good way to bring legitimacy to biking as a transportation mode,” said Jessica Mortinger, a transportation planner for the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Department.

It also may be a good way to spur complaints from motorists, who during busy time periods complain about not having enough good parking options already.

But here is something to remember: You don’t have to have four wheels to complain about parking in downtown Lawrence. Mortinger said the idea for bike corrals came about after a business made a request for more bike parking. Bicyclists that come to downtown have expressed concerns about about finding safe, convenient parking spaces.

You may think it would be easy enough to just park your bike on the sidewalk. But Mortinger notes that is becoming more difficult for a variety of reasons. The new parking meter poles are big enough that a traditional U-lock for a bike won’t fit around them. Plus, there are concerns that bikes take up too much room on the sidewalks, especially when you factor in that sidewalk dining areas already are eating up a significant amount of space that once was reserved for pedestrians.

photo by: Mike Yoder

Two dozen bicycles were spotted parked on or near Massachusetts Street around 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015.

Mortinger also points out one other factor: the city law that prohibits people from riding their bikes on downtown sidewalks.

“They can’t ride their bikes on the sidewalks downtown, but that is where the parking is,” she notes.

It is not, however, that downtown doesn’t have any designated parking spaces for bicycles. There are traditional bicycle racks on the sidewalks near the midblock area of most Massachusetts Street blocks in downtown. There are also other bike racks scattered throughout downtown.

In total, there are 271 bicycle parking spaces in downtown, Mortinger said. There are 4,042 parking spots for cars in downtown. Mortinger notes that in most new developments in the city, one bicycle parking spot is required for every 10 traditional parking spots. If that standard were followed in downtown, there would be a little more than 400 bicycle parking spots in downtown. It is worth remembering, though, that downtown parking is a special breed in Lawrence. Unlike other developments around town, businesses aren’t required to provide their own parking. City-owned parking is instead the norm.

Whether there is enough parking — or it is in the right places — has long been a debate in downtown. It will be interesting to watch how the idea of taking some parking places for bike corrals will be received. Planners are still trying to figure out the right number and location, Mortinger said. She said one near the Lawrence Public Library makes a lot of sense because on many days the bike racks near the library are full.

photo by: Nick Gerik

A bike corral is pictured Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2015, in front of the parking garage near the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St.

She said planners are also looking for a location on Massachusetts Street and a couple in the 100 blocks of side streets just off of Massachusetts Street. Each corral can usually accommodate about 10 bikes, depending on the design. The city has not decided what type of design to use yet, but you can see several examples here. Planners have had some discussions with Downtown Lawrence Inc. How that group responds to the idea probably will go a long way in determining what type of political reception the idea gets at the Lawrence City Commission, which ultimately will be asked to approve a bike corral pilot project in the future.

“I think they like the idea of additional bicycle parking,” Mortinger said of her conversations with Downtown Lawrence Inc. leaders. “As always, though, there is a limited amount of space downtown and always concern about how we use it.”


In other news and notes from around town:

• The idea of more residential development around the Alvamar golf and country club got a positive response from the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission on Monday evening.

The Planning Commission — on a 9-0 vote — recommended approval of a plan that would add about 300 additional apartments, condos and other multifamily units near the course. The idea of an expanded banquet facility with about two dozen overnight guest rooms also received a thumbs-up from the planning board. Now the plans — which have been proposed by a local group led by Lawrence businessman Thomas Fritzel — will go to the City Commission for approval. A date hasn’t been set, but the earliest it would arrive at the commission is Sept. 8, a planning department official told me.

As we previously reported, the plans for the redevelopment shrank a bit in the last couple of months. At one point, there were plans for a large assisted living and independent living facility just south of where the clubhouse area sits today. That component was removed from the most recent plans.

The largest residential component in the new plans is to the north of the existing clubhouse area. The plans — which are being designed by local architect Paul Werner — call for up to 292 multidwelling living units, which would be in up to nine buildings. The buildings — ranging in size from two stories to four stories — would be along the existing section of Crossgate Drive north of the clubhouse area. The buildings likely would contain a mix of apartments and condos, Werner said. Some rearranging of golf holes will be required to accommodate the new development, but plans still call for Alvamar to maintain 36 holes of golf.

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The latest plans still call for a new public street to be built south of Bob Billings Parkway and west of Crossgate Drive. The new street would become the new northern entrance for the country club, and also would serve the new multifamily development. I’m still a little unclear on when that street would be required to be built. I’m checking on that today and will update when I get more info.

The development also would include a 15,000 square-foot banquet facility that would be built near the current location of the public pro shop. The banquet facility would include 24 guest rooms that could be rented as part of wedding parties or by golfers.