Lawrence commission approves creation of TIF, Star Bond districts for KU Gateway project amid neighborhood concerns

The Lawrence City Commission on May 6 adopted initial ordinances to form a tax incremental financing district and a STAR bond project district for the University of Kansas Gateway development, approving the TIF on first reading 5–0 and the STAR bond district on first reading 4–1.

The measures set geographic boundaries and “base” tax figures that will be used if KU and its partners later seek financing for phase 2 of the Gateway project. The TIF ordinance passed unanimously; the STAR bond ordinance passed 4–1, with Commissioner Larson recorded as opposed.

The Gateway plan put before the commission includes a multiuse stadium expansion, a 62‑room hotel, about 443 student housing beds, retail and office space, an underground parking structure and a 20,000‑square‑foot community plaza. Jeff DeWitt, chief financial officer for the University of Kansas, described the development as a mixed public‑ and private‑funded project intended to allow KU to host conferences, concerts and campus events locally. “Phase 2 addresses housing, addresses parking, it addresses a whole lot of other issues,” DeWitt said during the presentation.

City bond counsel Kevin Wimpey of Gilmore & Bell and city staff framed the vote as a procedural first step that enables later project plans and financing to move forward. “None of your votes…