photo by: Bremen Keasey

Lawrence City Hall at 6 East 6th St pictured on Dec. 10, 2024.

After they rejected a consultant’s recommendation to purchase a vacant building for a new City Hall, Lawrence city commissioners will be considering a new contract with the same firm to reassess the project and evaluate as many as two alternative sites.

On Tuesday, the commission will vote on a $63,500 agreement with Multistudio to “reset the project” of reconfiguring City Hall. “>As the Journal-World has reported, the city had been working with Multistudio earlier this year on options to reconfigure City Hall because of concerns about space in the current building at 6 E. Sixth St.

A memo from the city’s Municipal Services and Operations department details what Multistudio would do under the new agreement. Among other things, it says Multistudio would conduct additional community engagement workshops and meetings about the vision for the project; update the site selection criteria; make additional presentations to the City Commission; and undertake a feasibility study and building assessment for up to two additional buildings.

The specific sites that would be evaluated have not been chosen yet. That would happen after Multistudio had gathered feedback and the site selection criteria had been reevaluated, according to the memo. The firm had told the City Commission in September that it had already evaluated two other sites — the Reuter building in the 600 block of New Hampshire Street and the Riverfront Mall building at One Riverfront Plaza — but neither fit what the project needed.

The agreement would also have Multistudio talk to Municipal Court staff about their space needs. The court moved out of the Riverfront Mall building in November, and all Municipal Court proceedings are now taking place in the City Commission chambers.

If the new agreement is approved, it will bring the total amount the city has paid Multistudio for the City Hall reconfiguration project to $206,150, according to the memo.

The new agreement is being considered two months after city commissioners rejected Multistudio’s previous recommendation to move City Hall to a new site at 2000 Bluffs Drive. That building had 50,000 square feet of space compared to 35,000 square feet at the current City Hall, and a plan to purchase and redevelop it was presented to the commission in September.

However, in October, the commission voted 3-2 against a $4.2 million agreement to purchase that building. Before that vote, multiple local organizations sent emails to the City Commission urging commissioners to keep City Hall at the current downtown location, including Downtown Lawrence Inc., the Lawrence Association of Neighborhoods and the East Lawrence Neighborhood Association. And at the meeting, several dozen public commenters voiced their opposition to the proposal.

The new agreement is on the commission’s consent agenda for Tuesday, which is a group of items that can be approved by the commission in a single motion.

In other business, commissioners will:

• Vote on a final site for the Downtown Transit Station.

The city will be deciding between two locations: city parking lot No. 9 on the west side of the 900 block of Vermont Street and city parking lot No. 14 in the 700 block of Vermont Street, which is near the current bus transfer area.

According to a presentation in the meeting agenda, city staff recommends the site at parking lot No. 14 because it provides better rider accessibility and parking conditions than the other location.

The project, which has a budget of around $2 million, would feature restrooms, a building for security and canopies and benches to provide more comfort for people waiting for the bus, all things the current transfer location lacks. Construction of the station is expected to start in 2026.

• Consider accepting an application from the University of Kansas for financial incentives to construct the second phase of its Gateway Project.

As the Journal-World reported, the university is seeking about $85 million in public financial incentives from the state and city to help fund the $300 million project that would add an upscale hotel, a mix of retail and restaurant space, more than 400 new student apartments and a 20,000-square-foot plaza area in the area around 11th and Mississippi streets.

If the application is accepted, a third-party group, Baker Tilly, will prepare due diligence and feasibility reports for the project on behalf of the city and review KU’s analyses. Those third-party expenses would be paid for by the university.

• Consider signing a Memorandum of Understanding, or MOU, with Douglas County for transferring funds to purchase property for a shelter for families.

As the Journal-World reported, the County Commission approved a one-time funding request of $750,000 from the city of Lawrence for the shelter project, which will provide up to 65 low-barrier emergency shelter spaces for women and families by 2027.

If the MOU is approved under the commission’s consent agenda, the next steps include site selection, acquisition, design and rehabilitation of a property. A city memo said the project will likely require additional funding from the CIP for property construction or rehabilitation in addition to the county funds. If all goes well, the project could be completed within 12 to 24 months, according to a city memo.

• Consider authorizing a $995,000 contract with Schneider Electric Buildings Americas Inc. for electrical infrastructure improvements that will support two hybrid fire trucks.

As the Journal-World reported, the city approved a request to allow the city to forgo its normal bidding process and negotiate directly with the company to construct charging stations for the new trucks because the traditional process would have taken too long. The project will install necessary utility transformers, distribution panels, services, conduits and associated electric vehicle charging equipment.