Developers pitch 44-home Manhattan infill project; seek RHID for 32 workforce units

Developers representing Frontier Development Group presented a three-site infill housing plan to the Riley County Commission on March 6, proposing 44 new homes in Manhattan, including 40 workforce units and four market-rate homes. Tyler Holloman, identified in the presentation as president of Frontier Development Group, said the project would seek Riley County RHID approval for 32 workforce homes at two sites and would place 12 homes on the tax rolls immediately at a third site owned by the city.

The developers emphasized the project’s funding mix and timeline. Holloman and Gavin Schmidt told commissioners that the project has secured competitive state support from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC): $650,000 in a middle-income housing (MIH) grant and approximately $1.2 million in Kansas housing investor tax credits. Holloman said the KHRC awards add state oversight and reporting requirements, including land‑use restriction agreements and monthly or quarterly reporting to the agency.

Why it matters: Developers and city officials described the plan as workforce housing targeted at households in the county’s working income bands; commissioners pressed for clarity about infrastructure, tax impacts and whether the project would actually be financially viable without the county RHID. The developers said the RHID and the state awards together make the project feasible.

Project scope and timing - Sites: 3 infill sites within Manhattan city limits. Developers labeled them LK Flats (26 duplex-style units), Park Townhomes (6 townhomes adjacent to City Park) and Lee Mill Village (12 units on city-owned lots). LK Flats and Park Townhomes are the two RHID-eligible sites (total 32 RHID units); Lee Mill Village’s 12 lots would be taxable on completion, with eight workforce and four market-rate homes, the presenters said. - Unit mix and prices: The developer described the workforce homes as roughly 1,500 sq. ft., three-bedroom, two-bath units with two-car garages and an illustrative price point around $315,000. Holloman and Schmidt presented mortgage and debt-to-income (DTI) examples showing how two-earner households employed locally could fit the payment profile they outlined. - Funding: Total development budget for the primary RHID sites was presented at roughly $8.8 million with $1.95 million in RHID requested overall (developers said $1.95M is the abatement requested across RHID sites). The city and developers have already pursued KHRC competitive awards; the presentation said the KHRC grants were the first such awards for Manhattan and possibly for Riley County. - Timeline: Developers said they hoped to begin construction in 2025 with units delivered in 2026, subject to local RHID…