Wyandotte Countyommissioners and staff discussed a slate of infill housing approaches June 30, concluding the committee favored creating a library of preapproved building plans to speed construction on land-bank lots.

The presentation began with Judd Knapp, land bank manager, who told the Neighborhood and Community Development Standing Committee that rising home prices are outpacing incomes and that the region faces a housing shortfall. "Metro wide, we're 12,000 to 24,000 units short of housing," Knapp said, citing recent local data.

The presentation described a range of lower-cost building types: manufactured homes placed on foundations, panelized and modular factory-built homes (costs described as about 10% to 25% less than traditional stick-built housing and faster to assemble), accessory dwelling units (ADUs), multigenerational units and "missing middle" housing such as duplexes and fourplexes.

Michael Sutton, redevelopment coordinator, then outlined a preapproved-plans concept: publish a catalog of designs that have already been checked for code and neighborhood compatibility so developers can skip the custom-design step and move more quickly to permitting. Sutton showed examples from other cities and said the approach helps small developers avoid up-front architectural costs and reduces the risk that a project becomes infeasible late in the review process.

Committee members broadly supported prioritizing preapproved plans. Commissioner Ramirez praised the education value of the briefing and said, "once we have the zoning code update, all of these new housingideaswill fit like a glove." Several commissioners told staff to pursue a zoning-code update in parallel so preapproved designs will be usable under local rules.

Commissioner Hill asked whether preapproved plans would eliminate architects; Knapp clarified the intent was not to remove architects entirely but to provide ready-to-use, site-tailored designs so the same plan can be built multiple times without a new, per-house architect contract. Sutton reiterated that site-specific reviews (for utilities, slopes and similar constraints) would still be required, though the preapproved designs greatly reduce time and cost.

Staff described next steps: research procurement options (license vs. purchase of plan sets), evaluate blocks with many land-bank lots to pair plans with infrastructure cost estimates, and invite practitioners from peer cities (Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, South Bend and Overland Park were cited) to discuss implementation details. The committee asked staff to return in the fall with actionable items for establishing a preapproved-plans program and to coordinate with planning, legal and neighborhood stakeholders.

Why it matters: County staff said the approach could lower development costs, shorten permitting timelines and encourage infill housing types that expand choice and affordability while reactivating vacant lots.

Committee direction: Staff was asked to prioritize a preapproved-plans program, continue outreach to developers and neighborhood groups, and return with a timeline and proposed procurement approach.