photo by: City of Lawrence screenshot

The Lawrence City Commission, with Commissioner Amber Sellers absent, convenes for its meeting on March 7, 2023.

Lawrence city leaders have gotten their first look at a plan to allocate $1.64 million in federal funds for homelessness and affordable housing toward affordable rental units.

As part of its meeting Tuesday, the Lawrence City Commission received a presentation regarding the city’s draft allocation plan for $1.64 million from the HOME Investment Partnership American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) Program, which can be spent on efforts to address homelessness and affordable housing. Based on a market analysis and input from local social service agencies and the public, the plan calls for focusing the dollars on creating affordable rental housing.

“There is a gap, a huge gap, and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Vice Mayor Bart Littlejohn said.

Commissioner Brad Finkeldei said the analysis included good information, and Mayor Lisa Larsen added that the process should keep moving ahead.

The city hired the consultant Virchow, Krause & Company to collect public input, complete a housing needs assessment and gap analysis, and prepare the allocation plan. Tuesday’s meeting only included a presentation of the analysis and public input completed by the consultant. The commission will consider approving the allocation plan as part of its meeting on March 14.

According to the gap analysis, Lawrence has a gap of about 3,250 affordable rental units. Baron Bell, a representative of Virchow, Krause & Company, emphasized that that number only addresses those with greatest need.

“When we are saying gap, again, it’s not saying that only 3,250 units are needed to improve the situation in terms of housing, but really trying to address those persons who might be homeless or at greatest risk of housing instability if something is not done to bring more units online in the inventory,” Bell said.

The consultant conducted a survey and held meetings and focus groups to obtain feedback regarding the best use of the funds. A city memo states the outcome of those discussions was “a strong desire” from partner agencies, stakeholders and the public to direct the funds towards the development of affordable housing. Based on needs in the community, Bell said the city intends to give preference for some of the units to households with children and those fleeing domestic violence, with the remainder being available to the population at large.

The allocation plan calls for the city to provide developers subsidies between 20% and 40% of the costs per unit, with those subsidies estimated to help support the creation of 19 to 38 units. In response to a question from Finkeldei, Brad Karr, the community development analyst for the city, said that once the city’s allocation plan is approved by the commission and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the city would put out a request for proposals for a company or organization to develop the units. The units will have to remain affordable for a minimum of 15 years, and Karr said HUD requires that the scope of work requested by the city include a plan for whatever company or organization that builds the units to maintain and operate them through the affordability period. Specifically, the allocation would invest about $1.4 million toward the development of affordable rental housing, with the remaining $246,000 going to administrative and planning costs.

In other business, the commission voted 4-0, with Commissioner Amber Sellers absent, to approve a $1.36 million landscaping plan for three entry points to the city that will be redone as part of the expansion of the west leg of the South Lawrence Trafficway. City staff said the landscaping may be done in phases over a period of a few years, and particulars will be discussed as part of 2024 budget process.