KU, community invited to forum on Central District Redevelopment

LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas and Lawrence communities are invited to learn about redevelopment plans for KU’s Central District at an open forum from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, in the Gridiron Room of the Burge Union.

Hosted by KU’s Office of Design & Construction Management, the forum will provide KU students, faculty and staff, Hilltop Child Development Center families and the public a chance to explore the university’s plans to transform portions of the Central District. KU’s comprehensive Campus Master Plan, which was unveiled last year, outlines new integrated structures and spaces that help connect the three distinct districts of the Lawrence campus.

The Central District is the part of campus bounded by West 15th Street to the north, West 19th Street to the south, Naismith Drive to the east and Iowa Street to the west. The heart of the redeveloped district will be Innovation Way, which will include new learning and research facilities, student living spaces and necessary infrastructure.

The open forum will include a short presentation at 6:15 p.m., but will center on a series of small, direct conversations between attendees and KU planners. KU will provide various visuals to help attendees envision components of the Central District redevelopment and, more broadly, the Campus Master Plan.

“We are excited to continue conversations with the KU and Lawrence communities so we can all understand what KU will look like in the future and how a modernized university benefits us all,” said Jim Modig, DCM director and university architect. “This is a special opportunity to transform the university through an integrated approach, taking advantage of needed improvements to foster collaborative research and student engagement. This establishes KU as a national model and better positions the university to serve the state and nation.”

The university hosted similar forums in July and August.

The 2014-2024 Campus Master Plan is KU’s fifth and most comprehensive master plan. The plan was developed over a 13-month period that engaged hundreds of individuals though meetings, focus groups, interviews and charrettes. The end result is a document that includes extensive analysis and reports on space and classroom utilization, historic patterns and resources, land use, program accommodation, sustainability, coordination with the local community, and other areas. Visit the Campus Master Plan homepage for details, including renderings and a video.