Current Issues in Journalism

The block of E. 8th Street and Pennsylvania has turned into a broken down and unsightly area in the town of Lawrence. This is an old industrial area consisting of broken down, unutilized buildings. In particular, the property located at 806 Pennsylvania, depicted above is a building consisting of three walls and no roof. Former Connecticut street resident, Frances Duff, says, “I use to run near the building and I had to stop because it was an unpleasant area of town and it felt unsafe.”

The property is serving no public purpose and is loaded with dangerous materials such as old nails, loose electricity, and broken bricks. Considering the building is located so close to a residential neighborhood this building is a potential danger to those near the location.

According to the city of Lawrence, Register of Deeds office, the property is currently owned by the development company, Cinco Hombres LLC., who seemed to be unavailable when contacted in regards to the building. Since 2006, this area has been up for a redevelopment project through the city of Lawrence. The development agreement states that the city has the authority to create a Neighborhood Revitalization Plan and Program for the area surrounding 8th and Pennsylvania. The city is willing to support the developers request to redevelop the properties located in this area, including the broken down building in the picture above. The development agreement states that the developer’s plan is to turn the building into “a gathering place integrating residential, retail, commercial, entertainment and community uses, activities and buildings for the property.”

This building has been an awful sight for years now and a plan for fixing this building is in the works, now we will just have to see if the city follows through with the proposed redevelopment plans.