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Salina staff outline housing progress, commission adopts Live Salina 2024–25 supplements
Summary
City staff told commissioners the Live Salina strategy has produced more than 1,000 housing units since 2021 but that Salina still needs roughly 1,800 additional units by 2030; the commission approved the 2024 and 2025 plan supplements 5–0 to guide incentives and infill work.
City planning staff on May 11 gave a study‑session briefing and regular‑meeting update on the Live Salina housing plan, saying the city has moved the needle on housing production but still faces a shortfall in attainable units.
“We keep building. We need to have diverse choices and we’re looking for the right tools to help lead us forward,” Lauren Driscoll, development services director, told the commission during a two‑hour study session that preceded the regular meeting. Driscoll said staff and consultant analysis shows stronger demand than earlier census projections indicated because of low vacancy, employer growth and household‑size shifts.
Staff walked commissioners through how the city’s housing demand estimates evolved: the 2021 update identified about 1,039 needed units, updated modeling in 2022 raised that figure to 1,357, and the city’s current 2030 projection calls for roughly 1,846 units when earlier shortfalls are counted. Driscoll said production since 2021 exceeds 1,156 units and that early‑2026 estimates show about 515 owner‑occupied units and 641 rental units in the pipeline.
Consultant Charlie Cowell of RDG, who helped produce the infill analysis, described the modeling and the team’s outreach to local employers and realtors to confirm vacancy pressure and absorption rates.
Staff highlighted the mix of tools used to spur production: tax‑based incentives (IRBs and RHIDs), state programs and targeted fee waivers, plus grant awards (including a near‑maximum Federal Home Loan Bank award). Driscoll told the commission the city’s investments amount to roughly $32.9 million in local tax‑foregone incentives and about $29.6 million in external grant revenues over the last four to five years, a net local outlay of about $3.3 million tied to more than 1,000 new housing units.
The supplements presented at the regular meeting summarize the 2024 infill scenarios for North Salina and the 2025 demographic and demand update; staff recommended adoption so the city can use refreshed data to shape incentive policy and budget priorities. The commission voted 5–0 to adopt resolution 26‑8354, approving the 2024 and 2025 Live Salina plan supplements.
What happens next: staff said it will return with recommended incentive or policy adjustments informed by the supplements and by an ongoing evaluation of infill feasibility, funding options and potential land‑bank or land‑trust strategies to reduce displacement risk.
