Plans filed for events center along the Kansas Turnpike; get ready for pole vaulters in parking lots and shot putters in the streets

Competitor Christian Cantwell throws up his arms as he watches his final throw of the night along with hundreds of spectators during the Downtown Olympic Shot Put event on Friday, April 17, 2015 at the intersection of Eighth and New Hampshire streets. Cantwell's won the competition with a throw of 70 feet six and a half inches.

You bring up the idea of an event and North Lawrence, and you could be talking about a whole lot of different things. It might be a night on the town at Johnny’s, a fraternity party in a barn, or a Kaw River fishing trip that involves sand in places it shouldn’t be, a “misplaced” boat, and sworn statements to discuss this no further. Soon, the events may get a bit more formal. Plans have been filed for a new events center at North Lawrence’s largest intersection.

If plans are approved, a small indoor-outdoor events center will be allowed to develop right at the intersection of the Kansas Turnpike and North Third Street. Lawrence-Douglas County planning commissioners at their meeting on Monday will consider approving a rezoning request at 1235 North Third Street that would allow for the event center.

If that location isn’t ringing a bell, it is at the northwest corner of the turnpike and North Third intersection. The building on the property used to house a surplus store that sold tools and a variety of supplies. It also has housed operations for the Westheffer company that sells a variety of chemical spraying equipment.

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The Westheffer folks own the property and are behind the idea of developing a new events center. I’ve put a call into them, but haven’t had any luck in reaching them. So, details on what type of events the center will host are a bit sketchy. But I know that the city has allowed the location to host some events on a temporary basis, including music concerts. A group called Attic Traffic Productions hosted a large event with about a dozen bands at the location last year at this time. The group even had come up with a name for the events venue: Northern Sands Warehouse.

So, perhaps we’ll see more concerts at the site. The location makes some sense for events that can draw a regional crowd, given that folks from Topeka or Kansas City could easily access the site via the turnpike. Perhaps wedding receptions and other such events could be on tap too.

The property’s owners currently are just trying to get the proper zoning for the site so the project can move forward. The approximately 4-acre site currently has industrial zoning. It is seeking commercial strip zoning, which allows for event centers.

Preliminary plans filed with the city indicated the project will use an existing 6,600-square-foot building to house the indoor portion of the event business. Plans also call for a 1,200-square-foot covered outdoor patio, plus significant open space that probably could accommodate events too. The site also includes 7,000 square feet of warehouse space that is connected to the 6,600 square feet of event venue space. Combine it all, and you could host some fair-sized events.

If the project moves forward, more detailed plans about parking and how the property will be used will be required. But I talked briefly with Lawrence-based architect Allen Belot, who is working on the project, and he indicated there likely would be some improvements made to the site, which would improve the appearance of that intersection.

The Planning Commission will consider the rezoning request at its 6:30 p.m. meeting on Monday at City Hall. City commissioners ultimately will have to decide whether to approve the rezoning. The city’s planning staff is recommending approval of the rezoning, noting that commercial zoning fits in with long-range plans that have already been approved for that intersection.

In other news and notes from around town:

• Speaking of events, don’t forget that there is a unique one on tap tonight, weather permitting. As part of the KU Relays, a unique pole vaulting competition will be held in the parking lot of the Salty Iguana at Sixth and Wakarusa. The event is set to be begin at 5:30 p.m.. Several national champion pole vaulters will be competing at the event, and heights of 18 feet or so are expected to be cleared. Keep an eye on the weather, though. Rain and pole vaulting do not mix.