North Lawrence study points to grocery, housing at corridor ends

North Lawrence is moving from planning language to land-use reality. City consultants now say the corridor could support a grocery-style anchor near the turnpike interchange, housing and recreational uses near the levee, and smaller projects that could start changing foot traffic sooner than a full-scale redevelopment would.

A corridor study with real land-use stakes

The City of Lawrence says the North Lawrence Comprehensive Corridor Study is examining N 2nd Street, also marked as US 59 Highway, and adjacent land to create a long-term vision for the area. The study area reaches into land inside the Urban Growth Area of the City-County Comprehensive Plan, known as Plan 2040, which means the decisions made here could shape how North Lawrence connects to the rest of the city for years.

That matters because North Lawrence is not being treated as just another strip of roadway. City materials describe it as a place apart, with historic homes, family-run businesses and a basic geographic fact that shapes daily life: every trip in or out crosses the Kansas River. That river crossing reality is why the study keeps returning to mobility, safety, land use and future infrastructure, not just retail.

What the consultants are actually testing

At the June 10 update, HNTB consultants told the citizen steering committee that the study has moved beyond broad goals and into more specific site concepts. Five locations are now slated for more detailed work: the I-70 Business Center, the area behind Johnny’s Tavern, North Second Street near Lyon Street, a site near the ICL chemical plant, and the former Riverfront Mall property.

That list is a useful reality check. It shows the city is no longer talking only about abstract “corridor improvements.” It is looking at actual parcels, actual access points and actual development types, which is where the difference between a plan and a project begins to show up.

The grocery question is narrower than residents want

The strongest public signal came early in the process. At the first major engagement event in November 2025, nearly 160 residents said they wanted a grocery store, more Kansas River bridges and pedestrian safety improvements. They also pushed for easier river access, including the possibility of pedestrian and biking bridges linking the levee to Burcham Park or East Lawrence.

But the consultants delivered a blunt feasibility check: North Lawrence by itself is not large enough to support a full supermarket. Their view is that the area may be able to sustain a neighborhood shopping center or a grocery-style use if the surrounding development mix is strong enough, especially near the corridor ends where new housing or other anchors could add daily customers.

That distinction matters for residents who have waited for basic-service access. A true supermarket would be the fastest headline-grabber, but the study is signaling that a smaller grocery-format tenant, or a neighborhood center built around a broader mix of uses, is more plausible in the near term.

What is most likely to move first

If the question is which proposed anchors could produce near-term private investment, the answer is not the same at every site. Housing near the levee and a food truck park are the most likely to generate early activity, because they can be phased in more easily and do not require the same customer base as a full supermarket. Those uses could also put more people in the corridor on a regular basis, which is what creates foot traffic for adjacent businesses.

The grocery-style option near the Kansas Turnpike interchange is the most important for basic-service access, but it will only work if the numbers pencil out. A neighborhood shopping center could arrive before a full supermarket, especially if it is paired with apartments or other residential growth that increases daily demand. Traffic calming, by contrast, is important for safety and walkability, but it is a supporting move rather than a stand-alone engine for private investment.

Riverfront Mall is now part of the development map

The former Riverfront Mall property has become one of the most important sites in the study because the city is about to gain control of it through a lawsuit settlement. In May 2026, city officials said the settlement totaled $2.5 million and would transfer control of the building to the city, which made the site a realistic candidate for the corridor plan.

That shift gives North Lawrence a rare planning advantage: a large parcel whose future can be shaped by public decisions instead of waiting entirely on the market. The building is expected to come under city control next April, or in spring 2027 depending on how the timeline is described, and that timing could determine whether the site becomes part of a broader corridor strategy or remains an isolated holding pattern.

The timeline is now the test

The city is paying HNTB just under $400,000 for the study, and the consultants said the current phase is due Aug. 27. An open house is set for July 8, giving residents another chance to weigh in before the concepts are tightened and the city locks in its next steps.

The timeline has already shifted once. In January 2026, the corridor study task force was still wrestling with mission and vision questions, and the completion target had already moved from December 2026 to March 2027. That history makes the August deliverable more than a paperwork milestone: it is the point where officials will have to show whether the study is steering toward action or just refining another set of ideas.

What residents should watch next

The city says the study is meant to identify corridor needs and objectives, identify funding sources and prioritize future efforts. That means the public should be asking not only what could be built, but what must happen first for anything to change on the ground.

The key questions are straightforward: which parcels need city control, which require new access or infrastructure, which depend on housing growth, and which can move without waiting for a larger redevelopment cycle. Until officials answer those questions in public, North Lawrence remains in the gap between vision and construction, where the plans are promising but the proof will come only when dirt starts moving.