See renderings of big building project in west Lawrence; update on construction near Sixth and Wakarusa; city building totals off to strong start

You’ve probably noticed a major construction project is underway at Sixth and Folks Road. I know I’ve certainly received questions about the big pile of dirt that is being created on site, and my attorney tells me I can actually answer questions about this dirt pile. (Let’s just say an aggressive dandelion eradication program has left some difficult dirt pile questions in my past.) As we have reported, a multimillion dollar apartment complex is being built at the intersection, and now I have renderings of the project to share.

City officials have issued a building permit for $6 million worth of multifamily apartment construction as part of the Bauer Farm commercial development at the northwest corner of Sixth and Folks Road. The project will add 100 apartment units to the area. We previously reported on the apartment complex when plans for the project were filed several months ago. But I know you have forgotten that, and now you want to know what the project will look like. I do have renderings of the project now, courtesy of Lawrence-based Treanor Architects, which is designing the project.

Here’s a look at one of the large apartment buildings that will be part of the project:

Here’s a look at one of the smaller apartment buildings:

Here’s a look at the clubhouse facility:

Here’s a look at the overall complex:

Bill Fleming, an attorney with Treanor, told me the project is expected to have a 10-month construction timeline, which means apartments should be leasing by next spring. Also, much of the dirt work you are seeing out there isn’t just for the apartments but also is for a new road that is being constructed in the Bauer Farm area. Bauer Farm Drive currently dead ends in the development. But the apartment project calls for the completion of Bauer Farm Drive, which means there will be a new way to travel from one of the developments to the other.

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Look for more development to happen near the intersection as well. At one point plans were filed for XpressWellness Urgent Care to build a medical facility near the northwest corner of the Sixth and Folks intersection. But as we previously reported, those plans have been scrapped, perhaps because MedExpress beat them to the punch and built a facility at the old Spangles location near Sixth and Kasold. My understanding now is that a bank or credit union has purchased the property for a new facility. I’m still trying to gather details about that project, however.

I’ve also received some questions from readers about a couple of other projects underway in northwest Lawrence. People have inquired about construction that is underway behind the CVS drug store at Sixth and Wakarusa. As we reported in September, Mid American Credit Union is building a new Lawrence headquarters there. City officials have issued a $1.5 million building permit for the new credit union, and work has begun on the project. If you are confused about who Mid American Credit union is, as we’ve reported, it is a Wichita-based firm that took over the operations of Lawrence-based Jayhawk Federal Credit Union, which has it sole branch near the Lawrence Paper Company in northern Lawrence.

I’ve also received questions about the construction underway just east of the Wal-Mart at Sixth and Wakarusa. As we’ve reported a few times, that is a multitenant building that will house Spin Neapolitan Pizza. The building also is planned to house one other restaurant. There’s certainly been speculation that it will be the Blue Moose Bar & Grill, a Kansas City-based chain, but there’s been no confirmation on that.

In other news and notes from around town:

• The city has released its building permit report for February. It shows construction activity is off to a slower start in 2016 compared with a year ago, but it is important to remember that 2015 was a record year for Lawrence construction.

City officials in the first two months of 2016 have issued permits for $36.2 million worth of construction. That’s down from the $53.5 million issued in the same period a year ago. But the $36.2 million total is still the second highest total since at least 2009. In other words, the construction scene isn’t as busy as it was last year, but it is still off to a very strong start.

The $6 million Bauer Farm apartment project is thus far the largest single project started in the city in 2016.

One area to keep an eye on is single family home and duplex construction. As I reported earlier, real estate agents are expressing concern about the falling inventory levels in the single-family home market. The market has become tight due to a lower number of houses on the market. That may be a cue for builders to start building new homes at a faster rate. Thus far, though, we haven’t seen that in the numbers.

The city has issued 18 permits for single-family and duplex construction thus far in 2016. That’s down 20 from the same period a year ago. The 18 permits basically are in line with the five-year average of housing starts. So, no homebuilding spike yet. We’ll see if one is to come.

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