photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Construction on Lawrence's first Olive Garden location is pictured on July 10, 2025 at 21st and Iowa streets.

Summer is rerun season, at least for those of us old enough to remember when “streaming” had nothing to do with T.V. but rather involved — best case scenario — a garden hose. I fit into that category, so I’m going to offer a couple of reruns about projects we reported on many months ago but that are now creating questions from readers as the buildings come out of the ground.

First, what is that building at 21st and Iowa streets? Well, there are a couple of possible answers to that question. The really big building that is a bit south and west of the intersection is the new Dillons grocery store that will replace the Dillons store that currently is located near 23rd and Naismith.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Construction work is advancing on a new Dillons grocery store just north of the intersection of 23rd and Iowa streets on July 10, 2025.

But I think you knew that because that is not the building I’ve been getting questions about. Rather, it is the much smaller bluish building right at the northeast corner of 21st and Iowa streets. I can’t believe some people don’t know what that building is, but I’m going to assume it is because they have a carb-deficient diet. (I think its been medically proven that carbs make our brains more sponge-like.)

Regardless, carb deficiency shall never be a problem again because that building is the future home of Lawrence’s first Olive Garden. We broke that news back in February, but maybe the project has fallen out of the consciousness of some because it didn’t go through nearly the process you would expect. As a past, failed Lawrence Olive Garden proposal can attest, such a project normally gets some spirited conversations at Planning Commission and City Commission meetings.

None of that happened this time because the Olive Garden is building on property owned by the KU Endowment Association. The property technically is considered part of the KU campus, and development projects on the KU campus generally don’t have to go through the city’s normal planning and approval processes. As we reported in February, the Olive Garden project will receive a set of incentives that local governments approved in 2023 as part of a master agreement for KU’s Crossing project, which is the name for the plan to redevelop large parts of KU’s West Campus with everything from new research space, office buildings, retail, restaurants and apartments/condos. As such, the restaurant is eligible for a 95% property tax rebate on all new property taxes that are generated on the site. It also will be part of a special sales tax district that will charge an extra 1.5% sales tax, with the proceeds of the tax paying for infrastructure and other such costs related to the development of the site.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A new @KU sign has been placed near the intersection of 21st and Iowa streets to draw attention to KU’s West Campus development.

Yes, as fascinating as all those details are, I know several of you have a different question: When will the breadsticks arrive? An Olive Garden spokeswoman in February told me the restaurant was expected to open in early 2026. I believe that is still the case, but I’ve asked for an update. If I hear a new date, I’ll let you know.

An early 2026 opening also is the last I had heard for the Dillons store, which also is on KU land and is part of the Crossing development. I’ve asked for an update on that opening date as well.

An additional question hanging over the Dillons project is: What will happen to the existing store site at 23rd and Naismith once the grocery there closes? I’ve inquired with a Dillons spokeswoman about that, but have seen where the property is currently listed for sublease by the commercial real estate firm CBRE. The fact that it is being offered for sublease leads me to believe Dillons will have a say in what locates at the site. Thus, I wouldn’t expect a PriceChopper to locate in the spot. However, it is worth noting that it appears the site actually isn’t owned by Dillons. Tax records indicate it is owned by a large California-based, publicly-traded company called Realty Income. That company owns more than 15,000 retail sites, restaurant locations and other pieces of commercial property, according to its website.

So, in short, what will happen to the current Dillons site hasn’t yet been determined, it appears.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A 7 Brew Coffee shop, left, is being built next to the Capitol Federal savings and loan building at Sixth Street and Folks Road. The site is pictured on July 9, 2025.

The second project I’m getting questions about is: What’s being built next to the Capitol Federal building at Sixth and Folks Road? In this case, the default Lawrence answer is also the correct answer: Another coffee shop.

We reported all the way back in March 2023 that a 7 Brew drive-thru coffee shop was slated for a small spot next to the new Capitol Federal bank building at the northwest corner of Sixth and Folks. That is still the case. While it took much longer than expected, work has begun on the coffee shop.

I don’t know the details behind the delay, but the Arkansas-based chain clearly did do some refiguring on its Lawrence plans. The company once had plans to build its first Lawrence location at 25th and Iowa streets, in the parking lot of the shopping center than includes Planet Fitness and Office Depot. That development didn’t happen. A Dutch Bros coffee shop took the spot instead. 7 Brew has since announced that it will build a south Lawrence shop at the location of a former mattress store at 3231 Iowa Street, which is in front of the SuperTarget store.

As for 7 Brew Coffee and it offerings, the menu includes a mix of hot, iced and chilled coffee creations, with many of them on the sweet, dessert end of the food scale.

Another project I’ve been getting questions about is excavation work at the southwest corner of 23rd Street and O’Connell Drive. I haven’t written about that project, but in fairness, it is not very exciting. The work is related to upgrading a piece of natural gas infrastructure that is located at the corner. The corner lot has been designated as a spot that is likely to house a future apartment complex, but the work that is underway is not a sign any such development is imminent.