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GIRARD —
GIRARD — The Girard City Council held a special meeting Wednesday to explore the possibility of pursuing a Kansas Moderate Income Housing grant through the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation.
At the end, council members voted to proceed in applying for a $400,000 grant which would be used to construct new homes on two pieces of property owned by the city.
One is near the Girard city swimming pool, and the other is a large vacant lot on the southwest corner of Cherokee and Forest, which many years ago was the site of the Haldeman-Julius plant.
Presenting the idea were Steve Lohr, executive director of the Southeast Kansas Community Action Program, and Becky Gray, SEK-CAP director of research, planning and grants development.
SEK-CAP has had previous dealings with the KHRC and became aware of this funding opportunity.
Gray said she ran the idea by Envision Girard, which has a Housing Action Team, and also spoke to Gary Emry, Girard city administrator.
“The application can be for a grant or a loan, with awards up to $400,000,” she said. “Cities and counties can apply, but non-profits cannot, which is why we’ve come to you.”
Money can be used for development of infrastructure to support housing, actual housing development such as acquisition of real property, new home construction, modular or manufactured housing or rehabilitation of existing housing.
“They like to see lots of leveraged other funds, a lot of partnerships,” Gray said. “The funds have to be used within a year, so we’d need to have a plan ready to go.”
The council rejected two other possible options, one to develop streets in the area of SEK-CAP offices on North Sinnett that would support development of building lots that could be sold to developers and the other to rehabilitate existing housing.
Emry has researched a home-building program conducted in Wellington, and said that city uses the homes to entice new residents by having a housing incentive plan for those moving to the community and purchasing a city-built home.
“They’ve already added 200 people to their population and their tax base,” he said.
The Wellington plan includes the city’s reimbursing closing costs up to $1,750 and free passes to the city swimming pool and golf course for one year.
Council members Susan Thom and Sharon Mattson had some concern that Girard residents might resent an incentive plan that gives special treatment to newcomers.
“I’m all in favor of incentives, but I don’t want to get carried away with them,”Mattson said.
She, Thom and Emry all agreed that any Girard incentive plan would not include any breaks on city utilities.
SEK-CAP will partner with the city and prepare the grant proposal.
“We’ll have our architect look at the lots and see about ideas for the houses,” Lohr said.
The grant application must be turned in by Aug. 31. The city will learn in October if it receives the grant or not.
GIRARD — The Girard City Council held a special meeting Wednesday to explore the possibility of pursuing a Kansas Moderate Income Housing grant through the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation.
At the end, council members voted to proceed in applying for a $400,000 grant which would be used to construct new homes on two pieces of property owned by the city.
One is near the Girard city swimming pool, and the other is a large vacant lot on the southwest corner of Cherokee and Forest, which many years ago was the site of the Haldeman-Julius plant.
Presenting the idea were Steve Lohr, executive director of the Southeast Kansas Community Action Program, and Becky Gray, SEK-CAP director of research, planning and grants development.
SEK-CAP has had previous dealings with the KHRC and became aware of this funding opportunity.
Gray said she ran the idea by Envision Girard, which has a Housing Action Team, and also spoke to Gary Emry, Girard city administrator.
“The application can be for a grant or a loan, with awards up to $400,000,” she said. “Cities and counties can apply, but non-profits cannot, which is why we’ve come to you.”
Money can be used for development of infrastructure to support housing, actual housing development such as acquisition of real property, new home construction, modular or manufactured housing or rehabilitation of existing housing.
“They like to see lots of leveraged other funds, a lot of partnerships,” Gray said. “The funds have to be used within a year, so we’d need to have a plan ready to go.”
The council rejected two other possible options, one to develop streets in the area of SEK-CAP offices on North Sinnett that would support development of building lots that could be sold to developers and the other to rehabilitate existing housing.
Emry has researched a home-building program conducted in Wellington, and said that city uses the homes to entice new residents by having a housing incentive plan for those moving to the community and purchasing a city-built home.
“They’ve already added 200 people to their population and their tax base,” he said.
The Wellington plan includes the city’s reimbursing closing costs up to $1,750 and free passes to the city swimming pool and golf course for one year.
Council members Susan Thom and Sharon Mattson had some concern that Girard residents might resent an incentive plan that gives special treatment to newcomers.
“I’m all in favor of incentives, but I don’t want to get carried away with them,”Mattson said.
She, Thom and Emry all agreed that any Girard incentive plan would not include any breaks on city utilities.
SEK-CAP will partner with the city and prepare the grant proposal.
“We’ll have our architect look at the lots and see about ideas for the houses,” Lohr said.
The grant application must be turned in by Aug. 31. The city will learn in October if it receives the grant or not.
