A Kansas City development firm is moving in on the University of Kansas’ West Campus with a plan for more than $100 million worth of new apartments at The Crossing district. The proposal calls for roughly 341 multi‑family units in a podium‑style complex aimed at higher‑end renters, including faculty members, graduate students and researchers. Developers say they plan to use a form of public financing that can exempt construction materials from sales taxes, while still allowing new property tax revenue to help cover development costs in the early years.
What’s Proposed at The Crossing
The filing outlines a podium‑style, apartment‑only project on a portion of the former park‑and‑ride lot just west of the new Dillons grocery store in The Crossing at KU. The application describes about 341 multi‑family units with finishes and amenities positioned to appeal to faculty, researchers and graduate students. Those project details appear in development application materials and in reporting by the Lawrence Journal-World.
Who’s Building It
Kansas City‑based Block Real Estate Services is leading the proposed development in partnership with an entity controlled by KU Endowment that owns much of The Crossing land. Block describes itself as a full‑service commercial real estate firm and developer, while the official Crossing site identifies KU Endowment’s West District Improvement Company as the master developer for the overall project. The partners say this phase will deliver buildable parcels and amenities that support KU’s neighboring research operations and make it easier to recruit talent.
Money and the Review Process
Developers indicate they will seek industrial revenue bonds, using them as conduit financing primarily to secure a one‑time sales‑tax exemption on construction materials rather than a long‑term property tax abatement. The Crossing’s adopted redevelopment plan shows the district already relies on tax‑increment financing to pay for infrastructure, with incremental property taxes expected to be routed toward reimbursing eligible development costs for roughly the first 20 years. The project’s financing strategy and the city’s incentive rules are laid out in public filings, including documents from the City of Lawrence related to the TIF project plan and the separate City of Lawrence industrial revenue bond policy.
Why KU Leaders Care
The Crossing sits next to KU Innovation Park, which has secured $22 million in federal funding to build the Kansas National Security Innovation Center and expand nearby lab and research space. KU has also signed collaboration agreements with companies such as Panasonic and has been exploring additional private research partnerships that stand to benefit from having more housing and amenities within walking distance. In their application, developers argue that upper‑end housing positioned next to research facilities will help KU attract top faculty and graduate students, a recruiting angle highlighted in materials cited by the Lawrence Journal-World. Background on the federal funding and research expansion efforts is available from KU Innovation Park and KU News.
Next Steps
If the city signs off on the incentive request, the proposal will move through the usual sequence of staff review, public notice and City Commission hearings before any industrial revenue bonds are issued or development agreements are finalized. Private developers typically front the early project costs, with reimbursement tied to TIF revenues on a pay‑as‑you‑go basis if the plan performs as expected, a structure described in the public project exhibits.
Legal and Tax Mechanics
Industrial revenue bonds serve as conduit financing, meaning the city issues the bonds but is not responsible for repaying the project’s debt. The adopted TIF plan spells out which expenses can be reimbursed and establishes a 20‑year window during which incremental property taxes are captured for that purpose. The precise scope of reimbursement, any caps and the public‑benefit obligations will be set in the development agreement and in conditions the City Commission may add during upcoming hearings. Residents who want the fine print are directed to the City of Lawrence TIF and IRB documents, which provide the formal legal framework for the incentives in play.
