photo by: Nick Gerik

Lawrence's Venture Park is pictured in June 2017 at the corner of O'Connell Road and Venture Park Drive.

Lawrence city leaders will soon consider extending a temporary fast-track economic incentives program originally approved in 2017 as a way to spur industrial development in city business parks and throughout the city.

As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission will consider authorizing an extension of the Catalyst Incentive Program for another three years, until April 1, 2025. The program applies to vacant property or existing businesses in the city’s two business parks, VenturePark and East Hills, as well as other industrially zoned property in Lawrence.

The commission initially approved the program in 2017 as it faced millions of dollars in special assessments at VenturePark, the city’s 400-plus-acre business park that at the time had been sitting vacant for more than two years. In addition to an expedited approval process, the program provides free land for companies that choose to build in VenturePark. The commission extended the program for the first time in 2019 and also added minimum investment thresholds at that time.

The Catalyst Incentive Program allows companies to bypass the city’s regular economic incentives policy, which requires companies to provide details about the jobs and wages a project would provide. Catalyst projects are also approved directly by the City Commission, instead of first going through the city’s Public Incentives Review Committee. At the time it was introduced, city staff and local economic development leaders argued that the city’s usual economic incentives policy could not accommodate companies that wanted to construct an industrial building “on speculation” before tenants were identified.

Since the program was introduced, the city has approved incentives for new construction or expansions for VanTrust, Plastikon Healthcare, Grandstand, U.S. Engineering, and Standard Beverage.

City staff state that the program has added much needed industrial space, jobs, capital investment and tax revenues, and is recommending the commission extend the program, according to a city staff memo to the commission. Projects currently participating in the program will alleviate the city of an estimated $2.26 million in Lawrence VenturePark special assessment fees. The memo also states that although the program does not require job creation, there has been significant primary job creation.

The Lawrence City Commission will meet virtually at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, and some staff will be in place at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. The public may attend the meeting in person at City Hall or participate virtually by following directions included in the commission’s meeting agenda, which is available on the city’s website, lawrenceks.org.