photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A Goodstop by Casey's is pictured Aug. 13, 2025 at 23rd and Harper streets in eastern Lawrence.

News and notes from around town:

• The day is likely coming that you could travel from the east side of town to the west side of town and have a piece of Casey’s pizza the whole way.

And, of course, this in no way involves eating more slowly.

Rather, there are signs that a full-fledged Casey’s is coming to the eastern side of Lawrence, one of the few locations in town that doesn’t yet have the growing convenience store chain.

The company has been on a pretty significant growth spurt in Lawrence for the last few years, with new locations in south Lawrence, central Lawrence and west Lawrence. You also may recall that in November we reported Casey’s was opening a Goodstop by Casey’s operation at the former DinoMart convenience store at 23rd and Harper.

However, a Goodstop by Casey’s is not a full-fledged Casey’s. The Goodstop version doesn’t include a kitchen, which means a Goodstop doesn’t offer the pizza, the sandwiches, the donuts or any number of items that are prepared in an on-site kitchen at a normal Casey’s.

But plans have been filed at Lawrence City Hall that indicate the Goodstop by Casey’s is set to become a full-fledged Casey’s. The Iowa-based chain has filed for a host of sign permits to rebrand the location as a Casey’s General Store. I haven’t yet seen an expansion plan filed for the site, but that could be next. A portion of the building that Casey’s is located in used to house a bank, and that area is now vacant. It seems likely the kitchen area may expand into that space.

The City Hall permit application doesn’t provide enough information to know when work may begin on the project, and Casey’s hasn’t yet announced its plans for the new operations. But I would look for work in the next few months.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Vacant property just south of the Cornerstone Community Church near O’Connell Road and E. 25th Terrace is pictured in July 2025

• Plans also have been filed for a new housing development just down the road and around the corner from the Casey’s location.

The Lawrence-Douglas County planning office has received an application for approximately 40 new homes to be constructed on vacant property along O’Connell Road and near E. 25th Terrace.

The site is immediately south of Cornerstone Community Church, and it just west of the large single family housing development known as Fairfield Farms. This new neighborhood is slated to have some single family homes but a larger amount of duplexes.

Plans call for seven single family homes, 20 duplex living units, and 12 other living units that will be spread out over two building lots. The plans aren’t detailed enough for me to know what those might be, such as row houses or small scale apartment buildings. Lawrence’s new development code makes it much easier to mix apartment buildings and single-family homes in one project.

The new code also really encourages density, meaning that more homes are located on a smaller piece of ground. As a result, single family homes make up less than 20% of the new homes in this proposed development, which is not an uncommon ratio for new developments under the new Lawrence code.

A Lawrence-based builder by the name of Jordan Brenn of Malama Homes is the applicant for the project, according to the filings. I’ve reached out to Brenn for additional information, but haven’t yet heard back.

photo by: Submitted

The 1919 Jayhawk will be featured on special edition cans from Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing Company and its Quirk hard seltzer brand

• Last month we reported that permits had been sought to close off the portion of 11th Street that runs just north of KU’s football stadium on game days. The closings would be to accommodate a new fan party area before KU games at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Now, we know who is going to be hosting the party. No, it won’t be David Booth himself, although he could probably throw a nice one. (I think he can afford the name brand chips.) Instead, it will be a Kansas City-based company that finds its way to a lot of parties in the region — the Boulevard Brewing Company.

The company has announced that it will be the presenting sponsor for Gameday Boulevard on 11th Street this football season. Boulevard said the area will be a “new fan experience pregame block party tailgate area outside of the stadium,” but doesn’t provide other details of what to expect. As we reported last month, however, the permits that Kansas Athletics filed for from the city would allow alcohol to be served on the closed-down street.

While Boulevard didn’t provide many details of the new game day event, the company did tout that it is releasing two new products that will have Jayhawk ties. Later this year, the company will release special co-branded cans of Boulevard’s Unfiltered Wheat beer. The can will feature the 1946 version of the Jayhawk. The company also will release a special can for its Quirk Strawberry and Lemon Basil hard seltzer product. That can will feature the 1912 Jayhawk.

The company, which was founded by 1976 KU graduate John McDonald, will sell the speciality cans at KU events but also stock them at liquor stores and other retailers across the state this fall.