photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Plans have been filed to build a new 132-unit multi-family complex on vacant ground at the Jayhawk Club, 1610 Birdie Way. In the background, the country club's driving range and fitness facilities are pictured.

I’m not sure that you will get to put one of the National Championship trophies on your mantle, but there soon will be about 130 new homes built in Lawrence that have a connection to the Jayhawks.

Plans have been filed at City Hall to construct a new 132-unit multi-family living complex at the Jayhawk Club, which is the privately owned, west Lawrence country club that has an affiliation agreement with the University of Kansas.

The project is slated for about a 7-acre vacant lot along the left edge of the driving range area of the Jayhawk Club. Or in other words, it also is just north of the country club’s extensive swimming pool area.

Plans call for 11 buildings to be constructed on the site, each housing 12 apartments. Lawrence architect Paul Werner is designing the building. I’ve got a call in to him to find out more details about the project, but there are certainly signs that it will be geared to golfers and others who are looking for a country club-like experience.

The plans show residents of the new buildings will have a private putting green and chipping area, plus the development will have its own pool, complete with a 1,600-square-foot cabana. In addition, the plans show a 3,000-square-foot clubhouse area to serve residents of the new development. Plans also call for a private area for residents to walk their pets.

The plans filed with City Hall don’t make it clear whether residents will rent space in the new development, or whether the living units will be for sale via a condo-style arrangement. I’m assuming residents all will have the opportunity to be members of the country club itself, which features dining and bar areas, plus a fitness club, and 27 holes of golf.

The development will feature a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom living units. The plan says Lawrence-based Gene Fritzel Construction Co. is the builder of the new development. The club is owned by a group led by Thomas Fritzel, a longtime Lawrence developer who is back in Lawrence after serving a sentence related to a tax scheme connected to one of his other businesses. His son, Tucker, is listed on the plans as a representative of the project, but Thomas is not.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The Fairway Flats multi-family complex at the Jayhawk Club is shown on April 15, 2022.

The new development won’t be the first expansion of housing around the club since the Fritzel group purchased the property in 2016. Across the street from the current development site is the Fairway Flats multi-family development complex, which was built by the Fritzels but now is owned by an entity of California-based Bridge Partners, a real estate investment company.

As for the Jayhawk connection to the project, now is certainly a good time to have a business with a Jayhawk in its name. However, the new housing development was in the works before the Jayhawks won the NCAA National Championship in men’s basketball earlier this month. In terms of how the Jayhawks play into the actual operation of the club, there is a ton of Jayhawk branding, and presumably there are numerous Jayhawk alumni in the club’s membership. But the most tangible connection is that the KU golf program is based at the club, with the university owning an adjacent practice facility that serves the teams.

A master development plan has been on file for the Jayhawk Club for several years that would allow for more development to also occur around the club.

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Late last year, several readers were wondering about a massive earth-moving operation that was happening near the course, and whether that was a sign of a big new project to come. It was not. Rather, it was the sign of an emergency sewer project.

City Hall officials in recent weeks prepared a report detailing an emergency sewer repair project at the golf course that ended up costing the city more than $200,000.

According to the report, maintenance staff at the golf course in early November notified the city of sewer discharge on a portion of the property where crews were doing some work to stabilize a bank along the course.

City construction crews took over the scene once the sewage leak was reported. The line was determined to be a public sewer line. Testing was done to determine whether the sewage leak had contaminated a nearby stream. Officials determined the stream had not been contaminated.

City officials determined the leak occurred after the hillside surrounding the public sewer line shifted dramatically. In fact, the report said the “existing sanitary sewer had moved up to 7 feet horizontally because of the destabilized surrounding slope.”

Crews ended up working on the site, moving a lot of dirt, for more than a month. Ultimately, the city ended up spending $263,093 on the emergency repairs. According to the report, the city was able to pay for the project out of a repairs and maintenance bond fund that is set aside for emergency repairs and other such situations.

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The Jayhawk Club and several other local golf courses will be the site of a unique event on Monday. Former KU golfer and PGA Tour professional Chris Thompson will attempt to play 96 holes of golf — spread out among six Lawrence-area golf courses — on Monday.

The event is part of a fundraiser by the Kaw Valley Junior Golf Foundation, which is a nonprofit that promotes the game of golf to area youth. Thompson, who is now the head professional at Lawrence Country Club, is scheduled to start the day at 7:30 a.m. at Eagle Bend Golf Course; move to the Jayhawk Club at 10 a.m.; the Orchards Executive Course at 1 p.m.; the Links at Kansas Golf Club at 2 p.m.; Lawrence Country Club at 3 p.m.; and finish at Twin Oaks Golf Complex at 6 p.m.

If members of the public want to watch the event, there is no charge to do so. Several sponsors have underwritten the fundraiser in its first year.