photo by: Bremen Keasey

The vacant lot at the corner of West Third Street and Michigan Street in Lawrence. The Planning Commission had two tied votes over a rezoning request, meaning the proposal goes to the City Commission with no recommendation.

The Lawrence City Commission will consider a rezoning request for a vacant piece of land near LMH Health that would allow for the development of a 24-unit apartment complex.

The request would rezone about .69 acres of land at the southwest corner of West Third Street and Michigan Street from an R-2 low density residential district to an R-4 high density residential district. The land has been split between both those zoning districts, which a planner with Lawrence’s Planning and Development Services Office said caused many challenges for development.

If the land is rezoned, the concept plan for the 24-unit complex would have 12 one-bedroom units and 12 two-bedroom units and include 32 parking spaces, according to a city memo.

The Planning Commission had a split 4-4 vote on the rezoning request back in March, as the Journal-World reported. That tied vote means there was no recommendation, which means the City Commission can OK or deny the request with a simple majority vote.

During that March Planning Commission meeting, Corby Rust, a worker with Landplan Engineering who was representing the property owner’s rezoning request, said the applicant had previously requested rezoning the area to an even higher density district that would have allowed a three-story structure. He felt the new request would fit in with much of the surrounding community.

Several people disagreed and have filed public comments against the rezoning request, saying the development would be too dense for the surrounding neighborhood. Rachel Stumblingbear, the president of the Pinkney Neighborhood Association, said in written public comment that the rezoning request’s allowed density would not fit the character of the surrounding neighborhood. She suggested using a different zoning designation that would allow 12 to 15 units, which she said would be more appropriate for the location.

In other business, commissioners will:

• Consider approving a rezoning request to convert around three acres of a former call center property from a mixed-use district to a residential district.

The commission will consider rezoning just under three acres at 2000 Bluffs Drive, the former call center for Sallie Mae, to allow for a mix of multifamily housing options on the vast parking lots that make up the eastern portion of the property. A local investment group bought the entire six-acre property back in January, as the Journal-World reported.

The Planning Commission approved that rezoning request in April, as the Journal-World reported. The site would be considered the R-3 residential district, and developers hope to eventually include a mix of multi-unit residential apartments and compact detached housing, with options for affordable housing on the site.

The site was previously considered as a potential location for Lawrence’s City Hall. The idea was presented back in September 2024 because of a lack of space in the current City Hall building at 6 E. Sixth St.; however, the City Commission voted 3-2 in October 2024 to scuttle the plans to purchase the site after lengthy public input that urged commissioners to reconsider moving City Hall from downtown, as the Journal-World reported.

The item is currently listed in the commission’s consent agenda along with other matters; however, because it is considered a quasi-judicial item, members of the public could request that it be moved out of the consent agenda for separate discussion.

• Consider setting a public hearing for a Neighborhood Revitalization Act property tax abatement request for a proposed loft construction project.

Flint Hills Holdings applied for development assistance on the upcoming 9 Del Lofts II project at 716 E. Ninth St, which plans for live-work units and affordable housing apartment units. The applicant applied for financial incentives from the city, including the issuance of industrial revenue bonds for a sales tax exemption on construction cost and and a 95% Neighborhood Revitalization Act property tax abatement over 15 years on the valuation increase resulting from the development. According to a city memo, those requests were made to “aid the project’s balance sheet” and enhance the competitiveness of its applications for federal tax credits for low-income housing.

The project has received other financial support previously, including $450,000 from the City’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, as the Journal-World reported. The project is also in a final funding round for the State’s 9% affordable housing tax credits.

If it’s approved, the public hearing would be set for June 3.

The Lawrence City Commission will convene at 5 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St. A livestream of the meeting can be viewed on the city’s YouTube channel.