photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The former Kaw Valley School property at 1411 East 1850 Road is pictured on April 30, 2024.

Plans have been filed to convert a former rural school house between Lawrence and Eudora into a day care home for adults with developmental disabilities.

The site — the former Kaw Valley School building at 1411 East 1850 Road — had been under consideration by the city of Lawrence and other partners to serve as a shelter for homeless families, as the Journal-World reported in April.

This new filing with the Lawrence-Douglas County planning office is a strong sign that the location is no longer under consideration for a homeless shelter. Instead, a nonprofit that is connected to Lawrence’s longtime social service provider CLO is in the process of buying the property.

The organization is called Goodlife Innovations. The Lenexa-based nonprofit is the parent-company for CLO, which was founded by faculty members at KU in the 1970s and continues to operate a pair of group homes for people with developmental disabilities in Douglas County.

The proposed project for the former Kaw Valley School site would be a bit different. It would be a day care-only facility, meaning no one would be spending the night at the location. Those details are spelled out in the application to the Lawrence-Douglas County planning office, and a representative for Goodlife also confirmed for me that the project doesn’t include an overnight component.

The property previously had served as a traditional day care center for children. The proposed use would be very similar, except it would serve adults who have developmental disabilities. The submitted plans show the building would be renovated to include an art classroom, a music classroom, a study classroom and a media classroom. The old gymnasium space at the school would be converted into a large multipurpose area, according to the filed plans.

I’ve got a call into the CEO of Goodlife to see if more details are available about the project. A representative with Goodlife confirmed the nonprofit is in the process of purchasing the property, but first is seeking approval for the conditional use permit that would be required to operate the day care center. That permit will need to go before both the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission and the Douglas County Commission before the project can proceed.

If you are having a hard time picturing the site of the old school, it is just east of the East Hills Business Park and just north of old Kansas Highway 10 that runs between Eudora and Lawrence. Or, perhaps, you are an asparagus eater and would know the location better by its proximity to Pendleton’s Country Market. The old school site is on the same road, just a bit south of that longtime Douglas County produce business.

The Kaw Valley School was part of the Lawrence public school district until its closing in the 1990s. Since then, the approximately 10,000-square-foot building has mainly been a day care center for children.

The idea that the school could be converted to a shelter for homeless families caught some area officials by surprise when it was reported in April. An official with the Eudora Township board, which oversees basic government functions in the area, expressed concern that such a homeless shelter could place a burden on the rural neighborhood.

Where things stand regarding the idea of a shelter for homeless families — and what other sites the city may be looking at — aren’t clear. I’ve asked a city spokeswoman for an update on that project. The idea of a shelter that would specialize in providing housing and services for families that are experiencing homelessness is a priority of the joint city-county plan to end homelessness.

As for the latest plan from Goodlife, a representative said its project would not have any component of a homeless shelter. Rather it would focus on providing enrichment activities to people with developmental disabilities during the daytime hours.

While Goodlife is a bit of a new name, many Lawrence residents are likely familiar with CLO, which got its start in Lawrence as Community Living Opportunities. The organization might be best known in the community for operating Midnight Farm, a 40-acre farm and ranch between Baldwin City and Eudora that serves as a rural retreat for individuals with developmental disabilities.