photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

Site work is pictured on the vacant lot at Haskell and Lynn in eastern Lawrence in late April 2025.

The large vacant lot about a block north of 19th Street and Haskell Avenue has had many plans over the years. While the site still doesn’t have firm plans, it does have definite dirt piles.

Construction crews are installing infrastructure on the property, and an owner of the site said it is likely to become neighborhood housing, although a portion of it may include commercial uses.

That’s a bit different than the ideas that have been floated for the property over the years. For the longest time, the site was owned by The Salvation Army and was slated to become a shelter to care for the homeless and others who are served by The Salvation Army.

But the nonprofit sold the property after its plans changed, which led to a time period where the City of Lawrence actively was trying to purchase the property to locate its Shelter Village for the homeless. Neighborhood opposition cratered those plans, causing the city to ultimately shift gears and build the Shelter Village on north Michigan Street.

Today, Lawrence businessman Josh Hunt tells me he and the other owners of the site — located at the intersection of Haskell and Lynn — don’t have anything too out of the ordinary planned for the property.

“It likely will be largely residential,” Hunt said. “It may be all residential.”

photo by: Douglas County GIS/LJWorld

The blue star marks a site at Haskell Avenue and Lynn Street that is being considered for future development.

While there is a good amount of construction activity on the site, Hunt and his partners don’t have a firm plan for what will be built on the property. Rather, the construction work is installing some basic utilities to the site, which will be required for any number of development options on the property.

What the site does have, however, is a desirable zoning designation. The property has M-2 city zoning, which is a mixed used neighborhood development zoning category. The mixed use nature of the designation means the site could have both residential and commercial uses side-by-side.

In fact, the city code says M-2 districts can have multi-story buildings as tall as 50 feet, with mixes of residential, storefront retail, offices and other commercial uses, as long as they are done at a scale that integrates well with the surrounding neighborhood and provides good pedestrian access.

The zoning category is fairly new, so there are not a lot of examples around town that have used it. Hunt said it does provide developers a lot of options, but said his group is not looking to test the boundaries of how far it can go with the zoning.

“I don’t think we will push it,” Hunt said. “I think it will be moderate.”

The zoning category would allow traditional single family homes or townhomes to be built on the property, in addition to multi-unit housing structures. Hunt said he expects decisions about what type of development will occur on the site will be made in the next five to six months. But he know housing will be in high demand, and is high on the wish list of residents in the area.

“I think this area of town definitely could use some new housing,” Hunt said. “I think a lot of people agree with that.”

Hunt, however, said he’s not ruling out some commercial element for the property. He said some neighborhood residents have expressed interest in some new commercial uses along Haskell. The site does have commercial uses on both sides of it.

Hunt became interested in the property after buying the former Boys & Girls Club headquarters that is located along Haskell, a bit north and east of the site. Hunt is the chief executive officer of Mammoth, a concert and event promoter that has its offices at 1520 Haskell Avenue.

“We have a real interest in the neighborhood,” he said.

As for how many new homes the property could provide, Hunt said it was too early to estimate.