KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel.
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A Kansas City, Kansas, realtor is addressing the area's housing shortage while helping solve a property tax problem by building affordable homes on vacant lots.
Fran Sutton, who runs Fran Sutton Homes with her daughter, brings more than 21 years of experience in Wyandotte County real estate to her mission of creating homeownership opportunities.
She is developing 25 affordable homes in the area around 21st and Quindaro.
The homes will be priced between $160,000 and $225,000 with the help of grant money, and the first few are expected to be completed by December.
"We just have a shortage of available housing for buyers in our market," Sutton said.
Sutton was born at 13th and Orville in KCK, though the home where she grew up no longer exists.
Her connection to the community drives her mission to create more housing options.
"An entire market of buyers were missing out on the dream of home ownership," Sutton said. "It makes you speechless when you think about how positively one person can impact their community.”
Her company has already built homes in Turner, where houses are priced between $243,000 and $258,000, with a 95% tax abatement for five years.
Now, efforts are expanding to the northeast area of KCK with the more affordable Quindaro project.
The development addresses a significant issue for Wyandotte County.
Currently, 4,300 vacant lots sit in the Unified Government's land bank, generating no property tax revenue.
"This area has been historically redlined, and we had a problem of too many vacant lots," said Jud Knapp, land bank manager for the Unified Government.
Knapp and Henderson spoke in another northeast neighborhood where Build WyCo is constructing 18 homes on land bank lots.
Sutton understands the tax concerns residents face.
"In Wyandotte County, there's a big focus on the fact that our taxes are high. Community members want to maybe move, and there's a lot of discussion about property tax," Sutton said.
Knapp explained how filling vacant lots could help address those concerns.
"The more houses you have, the more people that are paying taxes into the system, so property taxes will go down if we fill up all our vacant lots," Knapp said.
To encourage development, the Unified Government offers incentives, including waived permit and BPU fees for developers.
"Each rooftop brings property tax dollars," Sutton said.
Elizabeth Reynolds, Sutton’s daughter and business partner, emphasized the broader economic impact of the project.
"Each new home is a new family pouring in their working dollars to that neighborhood, too," Reynolds said.
Knapp noted new improvements to the land bank efforts include a yard extension program and gardens for land bank usage.
For Sutton, the work represents more than just business development.
"To be able to support my community through housing, there is nothing better," Sutton said.
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