Eudora bakery relocating; Baldwin City Council gets another crack at contentious duplex development; area events on tap
Cara Austin doesn’t know if Valentine’s Day is a good day for her bakery business.
A year ago, Austin opened her Lulu’s Bakery at 826 Main Street in Eudora to coincide with Valentine’s Day. Business was very good, but Austin attributes some of that to interest in the newest thing in a small town.
This year, Austin is again hoping for a Valentine’s Day opening. This time it will mark the relocation of Lulu’s Bakery to its new site at 1004 Locust Street. She’s ready to open, Austin said, but is awaiting a final state inspection.
“If they get here Friday, I should be open on Saturday,” she said.
Her father, Steve Austin, offered her the 1004 Locust site after things didn’t work out for the business he wanted to start there, Austin said. The new business will continue the bakery’s one-day-a-week 8 a.m. to noon Saturday hours and offer the menu of cinnamon rolls, croissants, chocolate croissants, bagels, breads and other pastries and baked goods available at the old location. She is exploring more gluten-free items, including a flourless torte.
Austin said she has done a few special orders, but has not truly jumped into the catering business. She has a full-time job, which explains the Saturday-only schedule, she said.
The new location comes with a large rear section equipped with a bouncy house, which will be available for children’s parties, Austin said. It will also be the new home of Amanda Kleine’s fitness classes, which gives the two friends a chance to work both sides of customers’ calories counts, she joked.
“She (Amanda) tells people once they are finished with boot camp, they need to go over to Lulu’s and get a cinnamon roll,” Austin said.
Fresh and Hearty and ready to be Devoured! Come get some while there still HOT!!!
Posted by LuLu's Bakery on Saturday, January 2, 2016
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A request to rezone property in the north end of the Fire Tree subdivision will get another hearing with the Baldwin City Council. On Feb. 1, the City Council voted to send back to the Baldwin City Planning Commission a request to change the current R1 single-family home zoning on property at 700 Ridge Lane to R2, which would allow construction of two-unit connected-roof duplexes.
Andrew Danner of North Star Housing LLC told the Council the plan was to build 15 total duplexes with 29 units and a clubhouse. After voting to return the rezoning to the Planning Commission, the City Council did vote to support the developer’s application for affordable housing tax credits from the state.
On Feb. 9, the Planning Commission decided to take no action on the rezoning, sending it back to the City Council, where it will be considered at Monday’s meeting. A vote will have to change on the City Council to resolve the issue. The decision to send the rezoning back to the Planning Commission came after the City Council’s 3-2 vote against the Planning Commission’s recommendation to approve the rezoning. That recommendation established the requirement the City Council override the recommendation by a supermajority or at least four members.
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Baldwin City’s Lumberyard Arts Center made about $4,700 from its annual Chocolate Auction. The funds support scholarships to Baldwin High School graduates studying the arts in college and arts center programing The next big event at the Lumberyard is the annual junior high school and high school gallery show. It opens with a reception for the young artists from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Feb. 19.
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The Eudora Parks and Recreation multi-family garage and rummage sale will be from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Eudora Community Center.
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The autism support group Eudora ACES will have its annual parade and fundraiser from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at CPO Park. The event includes a raffle, silent auction and parade to downtown.