Monday, December 23
Lawrence Business Magazine LLC
Lawrence Business Magazine LLC
2013 Summer - Real Estate Issue

NORTH & DOWNTOWN LAWRENCE

By on 188 Comments
North & Downtown Lawrence
| 2013 Summer | story by ANNE BROCKHOFF | photos by STEVEN HERTZOG |

relays2The word ‘development’ conjures images of open spaces easily graded, fitted with infrastructure and built out. It doesn’t bring to mind a place like downtown Lawrence, and it’s easy to see why.

The word ‘development’ conjures images of open spaces easily graded, fitted with infrastructure and built out. It doesn’t bring to mind a place like downtown Lawrence, and it’s easy to see why.

Massachusetts Street is already thick with stores, commercial businesses, restaurants and entertainment venues. It’s hemmed in by parks, the Kansas River and street after street of homes. There are few open lots, and many champions ready to defend it against threats to its distinctive character.

Among them are a handful of business owners who see downtown ripe not for development, but for expansion. There is a group that has spotted opportunities in the nearby Warehouse Arts District and North Lawrence that will bring more shoppers and jobs to the area, and who believe expanding downtown’s footprint is essential to its long-term appeal.

“I think at some point we’re not going to look at downtown as Massachusetts Street, but as the core nucleus of Lawrence which extends to the Warehouse Arts District to hopefully sometime in the future north across the bridge, to Vermont Street down to 12th and 14th Street,” says Jeff Hatfield of Larry A. Hatfield Appraisals, who’s involved with the North Massachusetts project on the river’s north shore.

PohlerWhile that development is on something of a slow burn, the Warehouse Arts District, a few blocks east of Massachusetts Street, is gaining momentum. Until recently, the streets around Eighth and Pennsylvania had a neglected feel, thanks to the aging buildings, railroad tracks and proximity to a concrete plant and other industry.

Krause Dining, which Robert and Molly Krause operated out of their home at Ninth and Delaware for years until closing in 2010, drew some to the area, as did a handful of other creative and business outposts.

ciderhouseScott Trettel bought 846 Pennsylvania to house his Trettel Design + Build firm in 2011; the renovation included a new loft home for the neighborhood’s Invisible Hand Gallery. But many of the street’s other buildings remained in disrepair. Among them was the Poehler Grocery Mercantile Warehouse, a crumbling red brick structure built in 1904.

Tony Krsnich, a Kansas City developer who specializes in renovating historic buildings, recalls his now-business partner Mike Hodges telling him about it during a round of golf. Once Krsnich saw 619 E. Eighth Street, he wanted it.

“I fell in love with the Poehler building,” Krsnich says. “Although the roof had caved in and a couple walls were somewhat questionable, I knew with the right funding package we would be able to redevelop it.”

So Krsnich and Hodges invested $9.5 million and reopened it as the Poehler Loft Apartments in July 2012. The building, now rimmed with neat landscaping and freshly paved parking lots, leased all 49 apartments in less than 12 hours, Krsnich says.

It’s labeled mixed-income, so 43 of the units are rent restricted, he says. The city of Lawrence has designated the surrounding blocks as a 95% Neighborhood Revitalization Area (NRA), allowing for up to $500,000 in property tax to be rebated to the development team over a period of 10 years, according to the 2012 Lawrence & Douglas County Economic Development Progress Report.

The city also spent $1.3 million resurfacing streets, alleys and parking lots; burying electrical lines; adding curbs and lighting and otherwise improving the streetscape, the report said.

The Poehler building wasn’t just a one-off, though. Krsnich and his partners also completed a $2 million renovation of the Cider Gallery, a 1890s warehouse at 810 Pennsylvania.

The main floor’s art gallery is sister to the Weinberger Fine Art Gallery in the Crossroads Arts District of Kansas City, Mo., while the upper level includes an entrepreneurial office hub with cubicle and office memberships. There’s also 5,000 square feet of event space.
Krsnich admits that tax credits and incentives played a key role in his ability to invest in the project, but he’s quick to point out the return on such public support.

He estimates some 150 workers contributed to the Poehler renovation. The smaller Cider project generated jobs for architects, engineers, construction workers and others, too. The opening of both created about 10 permanent jobs, Krsnich says.

That’s in line with the results of a 2012 report on the economic impact of historic tax credits by the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. The study showed that a $1 million investment in historic rehabilitation in Kansas creates 16.4 in-state jobs, more than highway construction.

Tony KrsnichRenovating the structures is minimally invasive to the environment as well, says Krsnich, who installed solar panels and an electric car charging station in the Poehler building.

“There’s nothing greener than saving an historic building from the landfill, and that’s where this entire block was going,” he says.

The results are garnering much attention from inside and outside Lawrence. Krsnich says the Cider Gallery’s event space hosted two weddings within a month of its opening in April. There are “dozens and dozens” more in the works, he says, and about a third of the inquiries he receives are from Kansas City and elsewhere.
“That’s a huge draw for Lawrence and a huge increase in the Lawrence tax base,” he says.

Krsnich’s group also owns other buildings and lots on the 800 block of Pennsylvania, including one used as a community garden by area residents. How will he develop those?
There’s no question that the land between Eighth and Ninth streets, west of Pennsylvania, will be something special some day, but I literally don’t have any plans for it now, Krsnich says.

Whatever happens, he’ll solicit input from residents, just as he did at the beginning of the Poehler renovation.

“It’s the best way to get support, especially when it’s not your own neighborhood,” he says. “Other people know their own backyard better than you do.”

What happens when your development site is in your backyard? Respect is perhaps then even more essential, says Rick Renfro, the owner of Johnny’s Tavern and a partner in the North Massachusetts Street project near the intersection of its namesake and North Second Street.

“I’ve been here so long that I don’t want to see it screwed up,” says Renfro, who purchased the original Johnny’s location in 1978 and now owns or partners in eight other locations. “There are a lot of things North Lawrence needs. Half my customers live here, and I talk to them on a daily basis.”

The group stresses communication with the North Lawrence Improvement Association. Plus, all of the partners are Kansas-based, and most live and work in North Lawrence, Hatfield says.
“We don’t consider ourselves developers,” Hatfield says. “We consider ourselves local business people that have a passion for Lawrence, Kansas.”

That passion in recent years has been directed toward the 19-acre site, which curves along the Kansas River’s north bank and is bordered by railroad tracks and a strip of shops that includes Johnny’s, The Gaslight Tavern, Lawrence Jiu-Jitsu and The Village Witch.

Otherwise, the property is mostly vacant, save for a defunct grain elevator and a trailer park. Still, it’s not an easy thing to build out.

“Redevelopments are always more of a challenge than going out into a green field,” says project architect Paul Werner.

The first challenge was acquiring the acreage, which initially was a patchwork with more than 15 owners. Hatfield bought his first half-acre in 1994; Renfro also owned Johnny’s and surrounding property. But neither had a clear idea of what to do with it until Jon Davis approached them.

Both credit Davis, a North Lawrence resident and business owner, with the idea of creating a mixed-use site with retail, services and housing. They and other investors slowly brought the land under their control, worked to get it all zoned for commercial use and then tackled their biggest asset—the river.

Building near the levee required approval from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which this year ruled construction could come within 16 feet of the levee’s toe, Werner says.

Harfield-Jeff and Louie RiedererThat’s close enough to contemplate a boardwalk-style retail development with shops and restaurants. Residential construction, a grocery store and a hotel have also been discussed, Renfro says. Nothing has been decided yet, except one key aspect—creating an environment that compliments, rather than competes with, downtown.

A robust downtown is key to the North Massachusetts project’s success, Renfro and Hatfield say, while a new shopping area could bolster the city’s appeal with locals and out-of-towners alike.

“Instead of them driving over the bridge and heading north or going east or west, they’d go over the bridge and stop within our own local community and spend those tax dollars here,” says Hatfield.

For now, the group is focused on finalizing its preliminary plat and seeking city approval, Werner says. It’s also considering infrastructure needs such as the number and cost of pump stations and how many egress points are required, as well as what type of retail fits and how many housing units can be accommodated.

Sorting that puzzle requires creativity, compromise and patience, says Renfro.

“Unfortunately, this is not a mathematical problem. It’s not one plus one equals two,” he says. Configuring potential uses is “more of an art thing.”

For now, there’s no rush. The project is currently financially stable, and its partners are willing to wait until Lawrence’s economic climate improves and the right investor emerges.

“We need the right group of visionaries that have the money, the financial horsepower, to see the same vision we have and make it work financially for their development dollars,” Hatfield says.

Renfro agrees.

“The beauty of it is that we don’t need to move,” he says. “It’s not like we have to have it done in two years.” ■

Share.

Related Posts

188 Comments

  16. แทงบอล on

    What i don’t understood is if truth be told how you are no longer actually a lot more neatly-preferred than you might be now. You are so intelligent. You understand thus considerably on the subject of this topic, produced me individually imagine it from numerous numerous angles. Its like women and men are not fascinated except it?s one thing to do with Girl gaga! Your personal stuffs great. Always deal with it up!

  17. online scam on

    My spouse and I stumbled over here by a different page and thought I may as well check things out. I like what I see so i am just following you. Look forward to exploring your web page yet again.|

  25. gambling Scam on

    I have read several good stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much effort you place to create this kind of great informative web site.|

  36. prostavive on

    Your style is so unique compared to other people I have read stuff from. I appreciate you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this site.

  38. Converting VHS to Digital on

    I love your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you create this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz respond as I’m looking to construct my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. thanks a lot

  49. โดจิน โป๊ ช่วยมาที่ห้องข on

    I have noticed that in digital camera models, exceptional receptors help to {focus|concentrate|maintain focus|target|a**** automatically. The particular sensors associated with some cameras change in in the area of contrast, while others make use of a beam involving infra-red (IR) light, particularly in low light. Higher specs cameras oftentimes use a blend of both programs and likely have Face Priority AF where the digital camera can ‘See’ your face while keeping focused only upon that. Thank you for sharing your thinking on this blog site.

  51. Chainlist on

    Your style is unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from. Many thanks for posting when you’ve got the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this page.

  60. หวยออนไลน์ on

    Along with every thing which seems to be building inside this particular area, all your points of view are actually rather exciting. However, I am sorry, but I can not subscribe to your whole idea, all be it radical none the less. It looks to me that your commentary are not totally rationalized and in reality you are generally your self not really totally convinced of the assertion. In any event I did appreciate reading through it.

  66. 5starsstocks.com on

    Aw, this was an exceptionally good post. Spending some time and actual effort to create a really good article… but what can I say… I hesitate a whole lot and never seem to get nearly anything done.

  67. sex videos on

    I like what you guys are usually up too. This kind of clever work and reporting! Keep up the good works guys I’ve added you guys to our blogroll.|

  70. Gay porn on

    Thanks for some other informative website. The place else may just I am getting that type of info written in such an ideal approach? I have a mission that I am just now working on, and I’ve been at the glance out for such information.|

  71. 在線購買偉哥 on

    Hmm it seems like your blog ate my first comment (it was extremely long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I had written and say, I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I too am an aspiring blog blogger but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any helpful hints for first-time blog writers? I’d certainly appreciate it.|

  79. เว็บตรง 100 on

    According to my observation, after a in foreclosure process home is sold at a bidding, it is common with the borrower in order to still have the remaining balance on the financial loan. There are many loan companies who seek to have all charges and liens paid off by the subsequent buyer. Nevertheless, depending on specific programs, polices, and state regulations there may be several loans which aren’t easily solved through the exchange of financial loans. Therefore, the obligation still lies on the borrower that has obtained his or her property foreclosed on. Many thanks sharing your notions on this web site.

  83. b2b massage cheras on

    An outstanding share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a friend who had been doing a little research on this. And he actually bought me dinner because I stumbled upon it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending time to talk about this subject here on your blog.

  87. オンラインデート on

    Wow that was unusual. I just wrote an really long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyhow, just wanted to say great blog!|

  88. オンラインデート on

    It’s perfect time to make some plans for the long run and it’s time to be happy. I’ve learn this post and if I could I desire to counsel you some fascinating things or tips. Maybe you can write next articles regarding this article. I want to read more things about it!|

  89. เว็บตรง 100 on

    Good site! I really love how it is easy on my eyes and the data are well written. I am wondering how I could be notified when a new post has been made. I’ve subscribed to your feed which must do the trick! Have a great day!

  92. ufabet on

    I love what you guys are usually up too. This sort of clever work and coverage! Keep up the amazing works guys I’ve you guys to my blogroll.

  94. セックスビデオ on

    Greetings! This is my first visit to your blog! We are a group of volunteers and starting a new project in a community in the same niche. Your blog provided us beneficial information to work on. You have done a extraordinary job!|

  99. snaptik on

    I’m impressed, I have to admit. Seldom do I come across a blog that’s equally educative and interesting, and let me tell you, you have hit the nail on the head. The problem is something that too few men and women are speaking intelligently about. I am very happy that I found this in my search for something regarding this.

  104. Sex video on

    Excellent post. I used to be checking continuously this weblog and I am inspired! Very helpful info particularly the ultimate part 🙂 I care for such info a lot. I used to be looking for this particular information for a very long time. Thank you and good luck. |

  105. Porn on

    Hello there! I know this is kinda off topic however I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest writing a blog article or vice-versa? My blog addresses a lot of the same subjects as yours and I think we could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to shoot me an email. I look forward to hearing from you! Superb blog by the way!|

  110. random trc20 address on

    The next time I read a blog, I hope that it does not disappoint me just as much as this particular one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read through, nonetheless I really believed you’d have something helpful to say. All I hear is a bunch of crying about something you can fix if you were not too busy seeking attention.

  114. iwin on

    Howdy! This article couldn’t be written any better! Looking through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I’ll send this post to him. Pretty sure he’ll have a good read. I appreciate you for sharing!

  117. ufabet on

    I’m not sure exactly why but this website is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this issue or is it a issue on my end? I’ll check back later on and see if the problem still exists.

  122. プロレス 5ch on

    Fixing a damaged immigration system so that American employees aren’t undercut, undermined because some businesses are unscrupulous and hiring people and not paying them respectable wages.

  128. ufabet on

    I’m in awe of the author’s talent to make complex concepts understandable to readers of all backgrounds. This article is a testament to his expertise and commitment to providing useful insights. Thank you, author, for creating such an compelling and insightful piece. It has been an absolute pleasure to read!

  134. Ufabet on

    I want to to thank you for this excellent read!! I definitely loved every little bit of it. I have you book-marked to look at new stuff you post…

  139. Ufabet on

    That is a good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere. Brief but very accurate info… Appreciate your sharing this one. A must read article!

  145. แทงบอล on

    An impressive share! I’ve just forwarded this onto a colleague who has been doing a little homework on this. And he in fact bought me lunch simply because I found it for him… lol. So allow me to reword this…. Thanks for the meal!! But yeah, thanks for spending some time to talk about this issue here on your website.

  149. chip cookie on the grill on

    Thank you for another wonderful post. The place else may just anybody get that type of info in such an ideal way of writing? I’ve a presentation subsequent week, and I’m on the look for such information.

  153. 888b on

    Having read this I thought it was really informative. I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this content together. I once again find myself personally spending way too much time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worth it.

  157. on the grill on

    Hey! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading through your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the outstanding work!

  164. how to save half an avocado on

    Thanks for the a new challenge you have unveiled in your writing. One thing I’d like to discuss is that FSBO connections are built with time. By bringing out yourself to owners the first few days their FSBO will be announced, ahead of the masses get started calling on Monday, you create a good association. By sending them resources, educational resources, free records, and forms, you become a strong ally. By subtracting a personal interest in them in addition to their predicament, you build a solid connection that, on most occasions, pays off as soon as the owners opt with a real estate agent they know as well as trust – preferably you.

  172. Money on

    Good site you’ve got here.. It’s difficult to find high-quality writing like yours nowadays. I honestly appreciate people like you! Take care!!

  173. Mostbet PL on

    I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own weblog and was curious what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very web savvy so I’m not 100 positive. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated. Appreciate it

  174. Zoom Login on

    Having read this I thought it was extremely enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this article together. I once again find myself personally spending a significant amount of time both reading and posting comments. But so what, it was still worthwhile!

  183. Mostbet Casino on

    Hey! I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after checking through some of the post I realized it’s new to me. Nonetheless, I’m definitely delighted I found it and I’ll be bookmarking and checking back often!

  187. Chainlist on

    Can I simply say what a aid to find someone who really knows what theyre talking about on the internet. You undoubtedly know how one can bring a problem to mild and make it important. Extra folks must read this and perceive this aspect of the story. I cant believe youre not more well-liked because you undoubtedly have the gift.

Leave A Reply

Contact to Listing Owner

Captcha Code