photo by: Bremen Keasey

Residential houses in the University Place neighborhood of Lawrence looking from the intersection of 18th Street and Indiana Street. Lawrence officials and preservation advocates are exploring options like demolition moratoriums as a way to protect historic structures as the new development code comes into view.

The city has a new development code that urges neighborhoods to become more dense by adding more buildings and homes.

While that strategy may fit with the goal of creating more affordable housing in the community, there’s a worry it may cause some potentially historic homes to get torn down to make way for new development.

Lawrence city commissioners next week may take action to alleviate some of those concerns.

City Commissioners will consider Tuesday night implementing a demolition moratorium for two groups of potentially historic structures currently being surveyed — a step that advocates for preservation pushed for after the passage of the Land Development code.

The commission, which is holding a special meeting Tuesday after last week’s regularly scheduled meeting was cancelled due to winter weather, will consider adopting an ordinance that would create a temporary demolition moratorium for the University Place Neighborhood — generally south and east of the KU campus — and certain structures scattered throughout the city that are associated with the founders of the Lawrence chapter of the NAACP.

After the new Land Development Code was approved in November of last year, commissioners requested that city staff explore the possibility of a demolition moratorium for certain structures, as the Journal-World reported.

Mike Delaney, the president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, had sent in a letter to commissioners urging for considering a demolition moratorium for older buildings that are being studied for potential historical relevance. Additionally, neighborhood advocates for University Place had expressed fear that the new Land Development Code — with its goals to increase housing density — could lead to property owners’ houses being bought up by developers, razed to create apartments more fit for student housing and change the character of the neighborhood.

photo by: City of Lawrence

A map outlining the bounds of the University Place neighborhood that would potentially see a temporary demolition moratorium passed until a historic survey is completed.

Currently, the city is completing historic surveys in the University Place neighborhood and for structures associated with the 14 people who helped found the Lawrence chapter of the NAACP. The proposed moratorium would delay the demolition of any structure built before 1975 in University Place and the 14 structures associated with the NAACP founders, which are scattered around North Lawrence and eastern Lawrence.

According to a city memo, those surveys would likely be completed and sent to the city in September. The ordinance includes exceptions for property owners to seek the demolition of their structure as well as a provision for the commission to lift the moratorium for properties deemed as unsafe or dangerous and must be demolished to “protect the health, safety, and welfare of the community.”

In other business, commissioners will:

• Consider approving a $3.5 million funding agreement with the Lawrence Community Shelter to provide supportive services for people experiencing homelessness.

Last year, LCS received around $3.4 million from the city, with an initial $2,677,699 funding agreement in January and an additional $756,550 through an addendum in December, as the Journal-World reported.

The funding agreement lays out that LCS will provide emergency and winter sheltering services, with the expectation that facilities are fully utilized when there is demand for them. Currently, the shelter has the capacity of 125 beds in its main building, as well as Pallet cabins behind the building that can accommodate 48 people. It also operates The Village, which has 50 Pallet cabins at 256 North Michigan St.

LCS would also be expected to provide services during the day, including helping clients obtain necessary documents, assisting individuals going through substance use treatment programs and providing guests with three meals a day.

The agreement also includes “sustainability goals” to gradually reduce the funding LCS receives from the city. The agreement says LCS should reduce its dependence on city funding by 10% by the end of the year and 25% by the end of 2026, with the shelter submitting a plan this year that will outline how it will find sustainable funding sources.

• Approve awarding a pair of construction contracts to Emery Sapp & Sons to upgrade utility crossings that would be complete along with the expansion of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

The total project for improving or adding new waterlines and sewer lines across K-10 would cost just under $14 million, which would be funded by money in the city’s capital improvement program, as the Journal-World reported.

In total, the work would add four utility crossings that would extend west of K-10 and improve or relocate two crossings that already exist, which could open up the possibility of more development for the city west of K-10.

If the project receives approval, the project manager said the work on the utilities should take about 18 months, with the crossings completed by the end of 2026.

Commissioners will meet at 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday at Lawrence City Hall, and the meeting will be live streamed on the city’s website.