Committee authorizes staff to negotiate development agreement with Driven Development for portfolio‑homes pilot

Assistant City Manager Jack Messer introduced a proposed portfolio‑homes pilot that would use two small remnant parcels acquired during the 167th Street/Schweitzer thoroughfare work for infill housing. Messer said conceptual sketches show nine units on one parcel (three duplexes and three single‑family structures) and five single‑family homes on the other, and described the pilot as "the first step" to test whether the model can deliver smaller, attainable homes in Overland Park.

Messer and Christina Finnwick of Driven Development said the nonprofit partner, supported by VanTrust, would use institutional construction expertise while operating as a mission‑driven developer. Finnwick described a rent‑to‑own runway that couples affordable rent with savings toward down‑payment assistance and financial education for target groups such as teachers, first responders and health‑care workers. "We are not...going to sell them to investors," Finnwick said, explaining the nonprofit intends to manage occupancy and prioritize the targeted workforce. Committee members asked about traffic studies, neighborhood character, timing, price targets and whether the city would donate or transfer land; staff said site control and transfer pricing remain negotiation points and noted the parcels were acquired with city funds but that federal funding for the larger thoroughfare project imposes distribution restrictions. After extended questioning from members and public commenters, a committee member moved to direct staff to negotiate development and disposition agreements with Driven Development and return the negotiated agreement to the committee; the motion passed unanimously.