Draft affordable housing plan includes new ideas, including buy-back program for certain old rentals in Lawrence

Many older homes in Lawrence’s core neighborhoods have long since been converted to rental properties, with some physically divided into apartments. Now, the city could consider a program that would undo some of those changes.

The city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board is reviewing the first draft of a plan to address specific deficiencies identified by a recent housing market study. The approximately 50-page draft plan, called the Lawrence Housing Toolkit, includes various options the board will consider to address the city’s housing issues, including zoning changes, funding assistance and a program to purchase and renovate certain rental properties and convert them back to owner-occupied, single-family homes.