Another Victory In McPherson’s Efforts to Increase and Revitalize Workforce Housing

To keep up with the job creation of our successful industrial base, a key focus of economic development efforts for the county has been on housing- affordable housing at all levels. To address affordable housing needs the city has undertaken several initiatives. It passed and ordinance in 2013, creating the New Construction Housing Incentive Program, which offers a rebate on city property taxes as well as $2,000 to the closing agent. In the latter part of 2014, the McPherson City Commission announced that it that it approved the Rural Housing Incentive District for a new 45-unit housing complex in the city. In addition, to that project, the same developer, Prairie Fire of Overland Park announced that they would also build a 64 unit luxury apartment complex to help give future employees as well as the 35% of McPherson’s current commuting workforce options to live right here where they work.

 These projects were phase one of the city’s push to increase housing. The City is still looking for more developers for projects in the 2016 construction season. Our neighbor to the South, Moundridge has a similar story; a vibrant industrial base that has created jobs faster than the community has been able to put up housing. To combat this, Moundridge City officials have taken a proactive approach to obtaining new housing in recent years.

In early January 2016, the cities of McPherson and Moundridge both received letters from the Office of the Governor of Kansas that each has been awarded $300,000 through the Kansas Small Cities Community Development Block Grant Program. Six grant applications were received by the housing rehabilitation project, and only three are receiving offers, two of the three in McPherson County. The CDBG program is a flexible program through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It allows the Department of Commerce to distribute federal funds to Kansas cities and counties looking to improve their community. In McPherson’s case, the grant would be used for housing issues. The funds from this grant will go towards rehabilitation or demolition of current housing in the city.