Topeka council approves RHID for Sherwood Professional Park; developer to build 20 market-rate units

The Topeka governing body on Feb. 11 approved an ordinance to establish a Reinvestment Housing Incentive District (RHID) for Sherwood Professional Park and adopted a housing development plan presented by Gen 3 Construction Development LLC.

Rhiannon Freeman, Planning and Development Services director, told the council the proposal covers 10 duplexes (20 three‑bedroom, two‑bathroom units), each with two‑car garages, and that the units are intended to be “market rate multifamily rental pricing, it's targeted to be $1,900 a month.” She said the RHID reimbursement was set with an “absolute cap of right over a million dollars,” representing about 16.7% of the project’s estimated total cost and structured to reimburse the developer in an earn‑up sequence tied to construction tranches.

The plan, Freeman said, moved through a two‑step application process: a Step 1 application filed March 14 and a Step 2 housing development plan received Nov. 21; the Department of Commerce reviewed and approved the district package before the council hearing. The developer told staff they expect site preparation to finish in June 2025 and construction of the two building tranches to take about 18 months after that.

During council discussion, Councilman Spencer Duncan — whose district includes the property — said earlier zoning and traffic concerns had been addressed by reducing the proposal from larger multiunit blocks to duplexes and by altering road access. Duncan said he previously voted against the rezoning but would support the RHID after the developer and staff revised the plan to respond to neighborhood concerns.

Opponents and skeptics raised affordability concerns. Martha Boatwright, a member of the public, said those units are not affordable to many Topekans and noted city household median income figures, arguing that $1,900 rent is above what an average Topeka household could afford. Council members and staff responded that the city’s housing study shows demand across income levels and that RHID is one tool among others to encourage housing supply, including infill and low‑income projects pursued with other funding sources.

Roll call on the ordinance produced eight yes votes and two no votes. The clerk recorded Council members Padilla, Hiller, Ortiz, Kahl, Miller, Dobler, Duncan and Hofer as voting yes; Council members Valdivia (listed as “Valdivia Acala” in the roll) and Banks voted no. The ordinance carries.

The developer and staff will proceed to site‑plan review and the design/construction permitting sequence if no further appeals or procedural steps arise. The RHID agreement includes performance and reimbursement provisions that limit eligible costs to those specified by statute, and staff said the city’s RHID review committee and financial advisor found the incentive level appropriate to bring the project to market.

Because the RHID tool reimburses only qualifying costs, Freeman emphasized that “under the statute, there are only certain things that are applicable for reimbursement by RHID,” and the city’s analysis highlights which parts of the sources and uses will be eligible.

The council hearing included one public speaker on the item and extended discussion among members before the vote. The governing body did not adopt any additional affordability conditions on the RHID at the Feb. 11 meeting.