Overland Park unveiled a housing program Tuesday offering predesigned dwellings and waived permit fees to encourage more diversified construction.
Why it matters: The city has plenty of big houses and apartment buildings, but it lacks the quantity of middle-ground housing that residents say they want.
Zoom in: The Portfolio Homes project provides architectural plans for 26 types of homes, including single-family houses and duplexes.
- Homebuilders choose a plot, select a design, and work with city staff on the details.
- Cosmetic changes can be made without additional review.
By the numbers: In September, 803 homes in Overland Park were for sale at a median listing price of $630,000, per realtor.com. The median sale price was $505,200.
- And Johnson County leads the metro in most apartment units under construction as of Q3 this year.
- The Portfolio Homes designs, which range from 640 to 2,197 square feet, would cost roughly $140,000 to $479,000 based on September’s average cost per square foot in OP.
Flashback: “In Overland Park, we build primarily large single-family homes and apartments,” Jack Messer, former director of planning and development services for the city, said at a public housing meeting in 2019, when the project started.
- Messer said residents wanted the city to create “diverse housing options” that addressed affordability.
Context: The Portfolio Homes project was delayed by the pandemic and required lots of work to make sure designs were quick and affordable to build while remaining high-quality, city spokesperson Meg Ralph tells Axios.
- Ralph says it also follows the city’s comprehensive plan, a policy guide based on community input on how the city should grow that was overhauled last year.
What’s inside: The comprehensive plan states that OP has a high percentage of “missing middle” housing — like duplexes and cottage homes — compared to the rest of the metro.
- The document says the city needs to have more housing for older residents and critical workers, including teachers and first responders.
Stunning stat: Nearly a fourth of Overland Park households are cost-burdened, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on their home, per the comprehensive plan…