[Electronic-lan] meeting with 23rd St. developer

Fri Mar 1 21:13:38 CST 2019

All –

A little history could be helpful here.

The SMART code was a mistake.  It was adopted by a pro-developer mayor and city commission to circumvent good planning.  We (LAN, the Progressive Lawrence Campaign, the League of Women Voters, etc.) could not block it, but we managed to get sufficient detailed inserted into its language that we hoped it would never be used.

The Horizon 2040 drops the SMART code because it was bad planning.  The OPUS project is an attempt to pull one off bad planning before the SMART code goes away.

All the best,
Kirk

Kirk and Jeannie McClure
707 Tennessee Street
Lawrence, Kansas 66044-2369
785.842.8968
mcclurefamily at sbcglobal.net

From: Richard Heckler via Electronic-lan
Sent: Friday, March 1, 2019 6:42 PM
To: electronic-lan at lists.ku.edu; Schuberth, Gary; Gary Webber
Cc: D'Agostino, Rita; Patrick Watkins
Subject: Re: [Electronic-lan] meeting with 23rd St. developer

== Would property owners/management be willing to accept Section 8 housing assistance?

== "The reduced number of parking spaces is allowable under the SMART code/"  Where would others park? 

== "$ budgeted to improve nearby bus stop on Naismith"  Which one? In conjunction with the T and student bus"? OR = invest in 10 ft walking/transportation path - yes - 

==   Inside Workout/exercise space?

==  This might be a successful venture = proximity to KU and grocery choices however let's not forget Kirk's remarks regarding residents leaving other projects thus more vacancies.

==  Are there plenty of trees in the landscape design?

Dickie Heckler

On Friday, March 1, 2019, 3:38:41 PM CST, Gary Webber via Electronic-lan <electronic-lan at lists.ku.edu> wrote: 

Dear LAN listserve members,
I thought I would reply to Rob's question (below) to the list as a way to report on the meeting.  Four community members met with Patrick Watkins and two OPUS group project members, Rita D'Agostino and Gary Schuberth.  I am copying the OPUS Group representatives on this email. I encourage them to reply to this listserve to correct me if my analysis is anywhere in error. 
They introduced the project and described the facility:

1. 300 bed, 3 story apartment with retail on ground level north side
2. mix of studio, 1, and 2-bedroom apartments, mostly 2-bedroom
3. retail parking east of building
4. Retaining wall on the west boundary, lot slopped slightly down to the east
5. 176 gated tenant parking spaces south of the building, first-come, first-served distribution
6. hike/bike "oasis' on southeast corner of lot
7. Pool in the courtyard in the center of the u-shaped building
8. rain garden on east side of lot to help mitigate runoff
9. $ budgeted to improve nearby bus stop on Naismith
10. green space north of the building, width of the lot and approximately 30 feet wide.
11. patio with seating outside of retail spaces
12. No development incentives were requested from the city
13. First development to use SMART code
14. intended to attract student tenants
City staff worked with them to understand and follow the SMART code, they praised the staff support.  The reduced number of parking spaces is allowable under the SMART code.  They were aware of current apartment market in Lawrence, and believed they would find tenants for their apartments.  The described the apartments as "market priced", meaning neither affordable nor luxury housing, but somewhere between.  They hope to attract a restaurant as part of the retail mix.  They were obviously excited about the project, their company's first in Lawrence.  
My thoughts: I liked the design of the building, it reflects many of the priorities of the SMART code, including green space,parking beside and behind the building rather than on 23rd, support for active transportation, higher density infill, and ecological sensitivity.  I am somewhat concerned about the limited parking, but agree with them that bus, walking, and biking access to campus is excellent and should help reduce the number of cars. The project does not address one priority of the SMART code; it does not provide any affordable housing.  I am impressed with this group. They seem to share our city's vision for future development based on Plan 2040. They will present the project to the City Commission for a vote on next Tuesday, March 5.
On a related note, the LiveWell Healthy Built Environments workgroup and other groups have been urging the city to build a 10 ft. multi-use path along Naismith from 19th to 23rd, creating a continuous 10 ft. path from campus to the Lawrence Loop south of 31st. This redevelopment project would greatly benefit from this low stress, off road path to campus.
Best regards,
Gary Webber

On 3/1/2019 11:50 AM, Robert Sands wrote:
How did the meeting go?  I wanted to be there but Wednesday evening was pretty busy for me.  Thanks in advance. 

On Sun, Feb 24, 2019 at 7:18 PM Gary Webber via Electronic-lan <electronic-lan at lists.ku.edu> wrote:
Dear LAN listserve members,
The group behind a  mixed-use apartment/retail development on 23rd Street just west of Natural Grocers has reached out to us and would like to help us understand their project and give us a chance to comment. Patrick Watkins with Foxtail Real Estate is representing The OPUS Group, a Minneapolis development group..  He is hopeful that one or two of the project managers will attend, but if not he will lead the meeting.  The OPUS Group is headquartered in Minneapolis, but also has an office in Kansas City.  Here is a Town Talk article about the project. Here is Patrick's introduction of the project:

We have introduced a mixed-use student housing project just to the west of Natural Grocers near the 23rd and Naismith intersection.  The building will have around 300 beds and over 8,000 square feet of new retail space, along with a range of amenities for the residents and patrons.  It's the first development project to utilize the City's Smart Code, which emphasizes mixed uses, integration with multi-modal transportation, and a more traditional neighborhood design.  With the bus stop, trail system, and evolving 23rd Street Corridor, we think this alternate code makes for a nice fit on this property.  We think this project will make a meaningful contribution to having a physically active demographic along this corridor - and would certainly appreciate your support.

This is the first time that the City has used its SMART code for a development project. We will meet with Patrick at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 27, in Meeting Room A of the Public Library. I hope you will be able to attend!
Best,
Gary Webber
LAN Secretary
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-- 
Rob Sands
C 913-707-3953
robert.c.sands at gmail.com

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