photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Lawrence City Hall

A proposal that would allow people to openly consume alcohol in downtown Lawrence around Massachusetts Street is coming into further focus with a draft of a proposed boundary of the area.

As the Journal-World reported back in June, city leaders began reaching out to downtown merchants and other businesses about the possibility of creating a common consumption area, or CCA, a designated area where individuals could openly carry and consume alcohol in public bought from participating restaurants or bars.

photo by: Screenshot from City of Lawrence document

A draft map of the proposed downtown Common Consumption Area for Lawrence that would allow people to openly consume alcohol from select establishments.

Now that plan has a proposal that maps out some CCA boundaries. The proposal would include both pedestrian sides of Massachusetts Street from Sixth Street to 11th Street, then include the western sidewalk area until South Park Street. From Sixth Street to Seventh Street, the CCA would include the area from Vermont Street to New Hampshire Street. The CCA would also extend from Massachusetts Street to New Hampshire Street between East Eighth Street and East Ninth Street, but not include the public parking lot area.

If the proposal is approved by the City Commission, patrons could buy a drink from bars or restaurants that opt in to the program and walk around those designated areas. That could mean, for example, popping into a shop to browse around with a drink from a restaurant in hand while waiting for a table to be ready.

Other important rules for the CCA are that businesses would be able to decide whether to allow people to enter their premises while possessing liquor. Patrons won’t be allowed to leave the CCA with their drink, and alcohol can’t be brought in from outside the CCA.

One reason for the city exploring the option of the CCA is in anticipation of the football season. With David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium under renovation and the Kansas Jayhawks playing most of their “home” games in the Kansas City area, the commission requested that city staff explore what a CCA would look like in hopes of increasing downtown activities and sales with the absence.

About 40 other cities — including Manhattan and nearby Ottawa — have created the special districts.

Commissioners will see a general presentation about the proposal at a work session during their July 16 meeting. With many other details to iron out — what the hours will be, finalization of boundaries, what the alcohol containers will be — the commission won’t take any action on a plan Tuesday.

In other business, the city:

• Will consider adopting the Americans with Disabilities Act Public Right-of-Way Transition Plan, which will establish the city’s commitment to develop public infrastructure that removes barriers and increases accessibility for everyone in the city.

The plan would help bring the city’s pedestrian areas up to ADA standards. The project found that 280 miles of sidewalks need improvements and 4,500 curb ramps require repair/replacement.

Currently, the city annually budgets about $1,928,000 for the changes in its Capital Improvement Plan. If the plan is adopted, the new plan would request an additional $2,588,000 in the CIP for the 2025-29 plan, with a gradual ramp-up to that number.

• Will consider notifying Douglas County of the intent to propose a tax rate of 38.907 mills, which exceeds the revenue neutral rate.

As the Journal-World reported, the proposed 2025 budget would increase the property tax rate by 3.5 mills. The rate increase is in part due to the city earning “millions of dollars less revenue” than anticipated because of slower growth from sales tax collections.

Because the city is looking to raise the tax rate, the city needs to alert the county of its intent before July 20. Then, a public hearing, set for Aug. 20, will be held to establish the maximum mill rate, which is 38.907 mills. At that point in the budget process, the city cannot exceed that rate, but it could go lower.

• Consider authorizing the city manager to finalize two grants with the Kansas Department of Transportation to rehabilitate Taxiway C of the Lawrence Regional Airport.

The city received a design grant of $38,000 and a construction grant of $337,500 from KDOT. As part of the grant agreements, the city matched a total of $40,000. The rehabilitation of the airport is a “top priority” to complete before the World Cup in 2026, with Lawrence in the running to possibly be a host city for a team’s base camp for games in Kansas City.