Commission refers proposed row‑house infill at 700 New Hampshire to architectural review after neighbors object to scale

The Lawrence Historic Resources Commission voted 4‑0 to refer a new‑construction proposal for row houses at 700 New Hampshire Street to the Architectural Review Committee for design refinement after extensive public comment and commissioner concern about scale and context.

Historic Resources Administrator Lynn Braddock Zollner told commissioners the project site sits in the downtown urban conservation overlay and in the context area of the McAllister House at 724 Rhode Island Street. The applicant’s plan proposes a string of townhouses fronting Rhode Island Street with garages accessed from the Borders (western) parking lot; staff recommended ARC review to resolve where the design did and did not meet chapter 22 standards and the downtown design guidelines.

Applicant Tiffany Asher, of Paul Werner Architects, said the project would return a vacant parking lot to residential use without…