Greg Goodnight, executive director of the Redevelopment Commission, told the commission that the Lawrence Board of Zoning Appeals has approved variances for a 33-unit senior housing project proposed by Pivotal Housing. Goodnight said the project site is behind the utility office, near Culver’s.

The variances clear a near-term regulatory hurdle for the project, Goodnight said, and the commission was also briefed on a housing and commercial property study funded by the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority (FHRA) that covers development and occupancy inside the FHRA boundaries.

The report’s scope is limited to the FHRA area, but Goodnight said it contains information he believes will be useful to citywide planning, including commercial occupancy rates. “They paid for a housing and commercial property study,” Goodnight said. “You’ll be hearing a little bit more of that in the near future.”

Goodnight told commissioners he has held multiple meetings with housing developers, including firms pursuing market-rate units and projects using 4% or 9% low-income housing tax credit financing. He said developers have discussed potential sites on the city’s east side, a west-side area near Oakland, and properties tied to Fort Harrison redevelopment efforts.

Discussion at the meeting was informational; no commission vote on the projects or the FHRA study occurred. Commissioners and staff will continue to monitor developer proposals and the FHRA study as they prepare for future planning steps.

Less critical details: Goodnight said he had briefed the mayor and met with the chamber and several business owners about development priorities. The BZA action and the FHRA study were presented as background information to inform the commission’s upcoming work.