Shawnee County officials hear that housing shortage is tied to workforce, tariffs and rising costs

Shawnee County commissioners heard May 1 that the county is not producing enough homes for its population because of rising construction costs, a shrinking workforce pipeline and regulatory or insurance limits that keep young people from hands-on trade experience.

Katie Nelson, CEO of the Topeka Area Builders Association, told the commission the local building sector remains active but faces new headwinds. “Tariffs are gonna hit everything pretty hard,” Nelson said, summarizing conversations with area contractors about material surcharges ranging widely by product. She said the association is concentrating on workforce development — including a recent event that drew about 800 students and led to 22 hires — and on educating contractors about code and permitting.

“The missing middle is really what we need to be concentrating on,” Nelson said, referring to homes priced between entry-level and luxury that would allow older homeowners to downsize and free up family homes for younger buyers. Nelson said average new-home prices have risen and that new builds now commonly start in the mid-$200,000s to $400,000s, making it harder to provide moderately priced new housing.

Darren Stevens, president of the local board of realtors (SAR) and broker-owner of Stone and Story…