Public meetings about Lyon County’s housing conditions and needs may be done for now, but Ignite Emporia Director Rob Gilligan says meetings earlier this week have been fruitful as work continues on a major study.
Based on the input from this week, availability is a key concern locally, whether it’s overall numbers or in different price ranges. concerns are similar in Lyon County’s smaller towns. Other issues for smaller communities include having opportunities to build with limited access to contractors or tradespeople to handle the work needed.
Gilligan says it has been important to have public input along with comments from real estate and other professionals as Ignite’s housing study continues.
To that end, Ignite Emporia and consulting firm RDG Planning and Design held public meetings this week in Emporia, Americus, Hartford, Olpe and Reading. They have also been holding targeted stakeholder meetings with contractors, builders, employers, young professionals and college students.
The housing needs study is one of the early major projects for Ignite Emporia and connects to one of the strategic plan’s major goals, which is improving access and quality of housing across the county.
Gilligan says RDG will return by early summer with its results and potential action steps to help Emporia and nearby Lyon County communities meet their respective needs. Click here for a link to Ignite Emporia’s Lyon County housing market study.
