Parking Lot Redevelopment

In 2024, the City of Lawrence issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking redevelopment proposals for downtown parking lots for commercial development and affordable housing.

During the RFI process, the City of Lawrence selected Cohen-Esrey Development Group to pursue redevelopment of the parking lot at 711 New Hampshire St. The City and Developer have an exclusivity agreement for the site, which expires in June 2026.

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

The Cohen-Esrey Development Group proposed an affordable housing development that would meet the following objectives:

• Enhance the built downtown environment with public art, pedestrian and bicycle-friendly spaces, and welcoming entrances facing the street.
• Provide 94 affordable units for residents making 30-80% of the Area Median Income.
• Construct a ground level bodega/corner market.

The proposed development would offer 111 total off-street parking spots in an underground parking garage below the apartments. Of these, 10 spots would be public parking (intended for bodega visitors) and 101 stalls would be private (intended for residents of the affordable housing development).

For more information, the full development proposal from Cohen-Esrey is available in the "Documents" section on the right-hand side of this webpage.

CURRENT STATE OF PROJECT

After their proposal was selected, the Cohen-Esrey Development Group was granted an exclusivity agreement for the lot at 711 New Hampshire Street. That exclusivity agreement is set to expire in June 2026.

At their June 9 meeting, the City Commission voted unanimously to have staff provide a 60-day extension on the current exclusivity agreement and chose to hold on any formal sale or agreement to move forward.