Steering committee advances five downtown sites for concept design

The Downtown Transit Steering Committee voted Sept. 23 to advance five candidate downtown sites—Site 025, Site 018, Site 026, Site 005 and Site 006—to the City Commission for concept design and further study, the chair said after a voice vote.

The decision followed a public-comment period in which neighbors raised safety and timing concerns. Kyle Johnson, vice president of the Old West Lawrence Association, told the committee that speed counts by JEO Consulting showed Tennessee Street “regularly exceeded 50 miles an hour” and that a resident review of police blotters described repeated calls for incidents such as trespassing, theft and fights; Johnson said adding a hub there “will make an already tricky pedestrian crossing even more dangerous.” Betsy Anderson, a nearby resident and pediatric nurse, told the committee a city stormwater project is scheduled to begin in March 2025 near Eighth and Tennessee and warned that large-scale construction could overlap with hub work and affect emergency-vehicle access.

Why it matters: advancing sites to the City Commission starts a sequence of more detailed study and design. Staff said the committee’s role was to nominate three to five sites for concept work only, not to select a single preferred site. If the commission votes to move forward with three to five sites, the city will work with KDOT and a contractor to produce more specific concept plans and updated cost estimates; those concept plans would return to the City Commission in November for a work session and the commission is expected to select a preferred site in December, at which point the Federal Transit Administration’s NEPA review would begin.

What the committee heard and considered: multiple members noted overlap in written public comments and said the group would prioritize oral comments from people who had not submitted written remarks. Commenters flagged three recurring concerns: pedestrian and vehicle safety near proposed hub locations, potential displacement of the farmers market if Parking Lot 8 (Site 025) is used, and the lack of indoor space for any security personnel stationed at a downtown hub. Staff said providing an indoor space for security or outreach staff would affect site layout but believed most candidate lots could accommodate a small security booth or restroom with careful design.

Sites advanced and next steps: during the meeting the chair called for a motion to advance Sites 25, 18, 26, 5 and 6 for concept design to be presented to the City Commission. The motion was made and seconded (mover identified in the transcript as Eddie; second identified as Lance) and passed by voice vote; the transcript records “Aye” and “Nope” responses but does not include a roll-call tally. Staff said it would prepare materials for the City Commission, tentatively scheduled for Oct. 8, and aim to return with more detailed concept plans and cost information ahead of a December commission vote on a preferred site.

Votes at a glance: The committee adopted a motion to advance Sites 025, 018, 026, 005 and 006 to the City Commission for concept design. Mover: Eddie (as recorded verbally). Second: Lance (as recorded verbally). Outcome: approved by voice vote; no recorded roll-call tally in the transcript.

The committee adjourned after confirming next steps and asking staff to circulate materials and a press release with the selected five sites.