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PLATFORM

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"I said it.I meant it.I'm doing it!"
ISSUES - AND WHAT I'M DOING ABOUT THEM
Infrastructure Resiliency
Continue addressing aging infrastructure throughout the city; implementing our current asset development plan to address increased future costs in an increasingly unpredictable landscape.


Houselessness – 
  • ​We have been able to match folks to resources and disperse two outdoor camps (Johnnys and Amtrak) last year in my time as mayor; and helped Broken Arrow, Burcham, and Sandra Shaw.
  • From this year to last year we have both reduced the point in time count and reduced the amount of folks experiencing persistent homelessness by 63%! (by almost 100, with 81% of population being a resident of Lawrence for over a year)
  • We have expanded the capacity of the Lawrence Community Shelter both in the main building and with temporary shelters on site so that have more tools to properly assist those whose are houseless.  Additionally, we have a plan in place to gradually decrease the dependence on the city as a primary funding source so that they can follow a path to sustainability.

Housing –
  • We have established a comprehensive housing plan “A Place for Everyone” in conjunction with the county,  social services, and other community organizations to provide a framework for anyone in the housing continuum. We want to make sure that folks do not fall into houselessness/keep them in their homes and produce enough available housing so people can either rent or own their own shelter.  The plan entails
    • An innovative plan - We have established so much momentum and success that other cities/counties are reaching out to us b/c they are planning to enact plans of their own.​
    • Work continues on building up our missing middle
    • It’s goal is create more affordable housing, supportive housing, and emergency housing
    • Also how it fits in the continuum of housing: Getting out the unsafe conditions of camping into Emergency Shelter – Transitional Housing – Supportive Housing – Affordable Rental Housing - Affordable Homeownership – Market Rate Housing
  • ​We got multiple projects in the pipeline that have received funding from the city for affordable housing, supportive housing, and programs to help keep folks in their homes: https://www.lawrenceks.org/pds/affordable-housing/trust-fund/
    • ​Going back to 2015 to 2020 we were funding/supporting up to 50 units per year of affordable housing development.  After then till now, we are up to 400 units per year.
Economic Development that works
Continue to work on our economic ecosystem to not only help folks start, grow, and maintain their own businesses including under addressed avenues such as child care and trades.  These are our neighbors that contribute to our community in all walks of like seen and unseen. Maintaining the focus on expanding commercial development in order to reduce property tax burdens.

I continue to work to create an environment that would:
  • Foster an economic ecosystem that would support/encourage/help folks start their own business, run/maintain their own business, and grow their own business no matter what type of business it is.
  • Help develop and foster pockets of economic vitality around town.  I would love to have economic activity centers in Downtown, North Lawrence, East Lawrence, West Lawrence, 23rd St., and Iowa St.
  • Increase our commercial development so that the reverse the current ratio of residential and commercial property tax in our economic landscape
  • Support company creators/developers like Peaslee Tech, The Chamber, CORE, KUIP. EDC and KU Small Business Development.
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In my time on commission we've invested in:
  • US Engineering Metalworks – Manufacturing (2022)
  • Cedarhurst Senior Living Center – Affordable senior care (2022)
  • DCCCA, Inc – Behavioral health/community based services (2022)
  • Community Children’s Center – Child Care (2022)
  • Heartland Medical Clinic – Community Health (2023)
  • The Crossing – Residential/Commercial/Child Care (2023)
  • New Hampshire St Lofts – Mixed Use/Affordable Senior Living (2023)
  • Turnhalle project – Commercial/Historic (2024)
  • Bison Affordable Housing – 250 bedroom affordable housing (2024)
  • Lawrence Journal World Building (Q39) – Commercial (2025)
  • The Peaks – Senior Affordable housing (2025)
  • Gateway – Residential/Commercial (2025)
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Worked to update the Land Development Code
  • The new updates to the land development code enable us to build new and diverse amounts of housing, create more businesses, and disperse our resources more efficiently.  Again, we are the leading of this as other cities considering changes in their code to spur housing development.
Resiliency
Continue addressing aging infrastructure throughout the city; implementing our current asset development plan to address increased future costs in an increasingly unpredictable landscape.

Infrastructure
  • We been able to assess and address the deferred maintenance on infrastructure that had been building up for decades
  • Asset Management Plan – to review and catalog all of our infrastructure assets to determine their state and whether to proceed with repair and replacement
  • Also a part of that is making sure that we can facilitate the spurs of growth in our town
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