WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Kansas lawmakers, including those representing parts of Wichita, are raising concerns about the number of duplexes being built in the area.
Lawmaker calls for slowdown
Duplexes, multi-family homes touted as being more affordable than a single home, are being built around neighborhoods. Kansas State Rep. Brian Bergkamp made a Facebook post calling for the building of these to be slowed, citing affordability as one of those concerns.
Bergkamp, R-Sedgwick County, said, “I think everything’s necessary but to me for a healthy community 10, 20, years down the road, I think you need that good mix of single family homes and multi.”
Concerns beyond cost
“But their concerns don’t stop at how much these duplexes can cost, they say one of their main concerns is how it can affect the sense of community in the towns that they pop up in.”
Mike Hoheisel, of the Wichita City Council District 3, said, “Where a lot of these new units are going are outside resources, are outside areas that have access to transit, access to grocery stores.”
Builders cite market demand
The Wichita Area Builders Association works to try and build affordable housing in the area. They say a lot of these duplexes have been built recently due to market demand. Factors like inflation, material cost, and property taxes go into their reasoning…