Since the city of Emporia established its own version of a Rural Housing Incentive District policy several years ago, city officials have had a number of successes with home developments across town and upper-story development specifically for downtown. Recent changes in state law have opened the doors, pun intended, for expanded development areas.
City Special Projects Coordinator Jim Witt explained on KVOE’s Morning Show on Tuesday, saying a big change makes properties eligible for RHID work if they have underground utilities nearby — but no homes above ground.
The goal of RHID has always been to promote single-family housing, with the valuation of new improvements paying off physical infrastructure needs — streets, sewers, storm drainage and the like — eliminating up-front costs and making it more affordable for new developments.
Senate Bill 19 officially changed the name to Reinvestment Housing Incentive District, a move that Witt says reflects the expanding nature and benefits of the development policy. It also slightly increased the county population for eligible districts.
RHID was developed in the 1990s and its use was largely limited to southwest Kansas for years. Emporia had its first RHID development approved in 2016. Since then, there have been several housing projects scattered across town, including Hidden Vistas, Riverside Addition and Pleasant Point. Emporia was also the first city to have an upper-story development program approved, and Witt says that has gone well with 10 new apartment units done.
Currently, Emporia has one RHID project into construction — the Mahtropolis development bringing almost 30 homes to the area near Trusler Sports Complex. Witt says there are currently some eligible districts in town that don’t have development yet.
