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County commissioner and homeless‑task‑force member discuss inclusionary housing, incentives and building‑code changes
Summary
At a town hall, Commissioner Jim Howell and members of the Homeless Task Force discussed options to expand affordable housing supply in Sedgwick County, including feasibility studies for inclusionary zoning, reinvestment incentives, code changes to lower construction costs and encouraging duplexes or smaller single‑family units.
Residents at a Feb. 1 town hall in Derby raised affordable‑housing concerns and asked the commission to consider inclusionary housing policies and other incentives to expand supply.
Faith Martin, a member of the Homeless Task Force housing subcommittee, told Commissioner Jim Howell the local housing shortage is driving appraisal increases and urged feasibility studies on inclusionary housing — policies that typically require or incent developers to include an affordability component in new developments. "We need to increase those," Martin said, noting that communities often pair feasibility studies with economic development and incentive policy reviews.
Howell responded that the county has an RHID (reinvestment housing incentive district) program approved at the state level and that the county can offer time‑limited tax abatements or incentives for infill and reinvestment projects. He said the county is also examining building codes and regulations to reduce construction cost drivers, and he proposed smaller, lower‑cost home designs and detached small footprints as potential pathways to more affordable ownership options.
On supply types, Howell said the market is already delivering more duplexes and multi‑unit housing in the county and that duplexes and small apartments are a rapid, market response to affordability pressures. He said some policy options — zoning, incentives, or minimum set‑asides — could be explored, but cautioned that using property‑tax funds for targeted incentives raises ethical and fiscal questions about redistributing taxpayer dollars.
Ending: Howell invited task‑force members and other stakeholders to meet with county staff and the county’s building‑codes director to explore feasibility, regulatory changes and potential incentive structures. He encouraged residents to join ongoing task‑force work and to provide feedback during the budget process.
