photo by: Paul Werner Architects

A rendering shows the proposed design for a row house development in the former parking lot of the Borders bookstore building east of Seventh and New Hampshire streets.

Lawrence’s Historic Resources Commission is interested in changes to the design of a project that would build 15 row houses in a vacant parking lot in downtown Lawrence to ensure that it matches the style of the surrounding area.

The developer of the project was seeking approval from the HRC to construct a three-story structure in a vacant parking lot at 700 New Hampshire St. The building would include 15 2,353-square-foot units which would feature a one-car garage on the ground floor that faces west, while the front entrances would face east and be accessed from Rhode Island Street. The units are planned to have three bedrooms and three bathrooms.

On Thursday, the Historic Resources Commission voted unanimously to have the proposed design reviewed by its Architectural Review Committee, which would work to try to create more variety in the design and find ways to make it resemble the other buildings in the area more closely.

The plans for the row houses were first filed back in January by local businessman Adam Williams, as the Journal-World reported. The row houses would be built right by the long-vacant Borders building. Williams said during the meeting that he viewed the construction of the row houses as a “phase one” of sorts that can lead to future development of the area, including the Borders building which has sat vacant since 2011.

Lynne Zollner, the city’s historic resources administrator, told the HRC that before the area became a parking lot, it was historically used for residential use. She also noted that the staff’s recommendation was to refer the building to the Architecture Review Committee to explore design changes that would make it fit in better to the historical context of the houses on Rhode Island Street, including the historically protected Octavious W. McAllaster House, at 724 Rhode Island St., which was built in 1861 and survived Quantrill’s Raid.

Multiple commissioners and members of the public expressed concern that the project’s scale at three stories would be too big and would dominate the other buildings and houses on Rhode Island Street.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The east edge of the privately-owned Borders parking lot is shown on Jan. 24, 2025. The site is proposed to house row houses, across the street from existing homes along Rhode Island Street, which are pictured in the background.

Tim Nauman, who said he lived right across the street from the proposed development, said the fact that the row houses would be right up next to the sidewalk in the design, instead of being set back, would be like “a big wall” to residents on the other side of Rhode Island Street. Although he noted that Williams meant to keep additional parking for the potential of development at the Borders building, Nauman said he thinks the row houses would “feel imposing” by not having them set farther back.

“We solve one problem but kind of create another. If the building was set back another 15-20 feet from the sidewalk, it’s less imposing, but it doesn’t solve the parking problem,” Nauman said.

Historic Resources Commissioner Phil Cunningham said he felt the project needed “significant changes” for it to appease the neighbors and fit within the design guidelines. Commissioner Jeanne Klein also was concerned about whether an architectural review could bring back a plan that would fit in.

“I’m concerned with how massive it is, how modern looking it is,” Klein said.

Joy Coleman, the chair of the HRC, said that while she understood the concerns of the other commissioners, she did not think the commission should “close (their) minds” to much-needed infill housing by being too stringent on the historic requirements.

“We are charged to protect historic resources and protect patterns of development, but we should not obstruct proposals that don’t exactly match what we have,” Coleman said.

Zollner said there have been projects in the past whose designs were “much further away” from being accepted on a historical basis that went to the Architectural Review Committee, received tweaks and were eventually approved.

Williams said he was willing to work with the city to make the development happen. Additionally, if the HRC did not approve the designs, he noted he could have brought the plan straight to the City Commission either way. Now, the HRC will have a chance to have another say on the design.