Bart Littlejohn

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 has:

• Fostered 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.

• Helped develop and foster pockets of economic vitality around town.  I am working to have economic activity centers in Downtown, North Lawrence (there has corridor study approved in 2025), East Lawrence, West Lawrence, 23rd St., and Iowa St.

• Increased our commercial development so that the reverse the current ratio of residential and commercial property tax in our economic landscape

 

Supported 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)

• Lawrence Farmers Market (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.​

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As I said before, I'm working to form economic pockets all around town like North Lawrence where we will be conducting a corridor study. The goal is spur economic development using those same practices elsewhere like: Downtown, East Lawrence, West Lawrence, South Lawrence, and in corridors like 6th St, 23rd St, and Iowa St.