KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
Renters in the Kansas City metro area are dealing with rising rents.
According to Johnson County's 2026 Revaluation Report, the Kansas City area ranked third in the country for rent growth in 2025.
Several apartment complexes just finished and more are planned in Mission. Data from local real estate group MMG estimates Johnson County made up 40 percent of the KC metro’s apartment completions in 2025.
The new construction is impacting businesses and residents already in the area.
Ghassan Alhmood owns Kinzi Restaurant in Mission and has toured some of the new apartments.
"It brought us a lot of people," Alhmood said. "It's helping us a lot. We get customers, and we know that they're new customers."
However, Alhmood knows these apartments might not follow the supply and demand curve.
"You're offering a lot of apartments? That should make the prices go down. It doesn't (always) go that way," Alhmood said.
A recent University of Minnesota study found new apartments slightly bring down the rent of high-end apartments, while increasing lower-priced rentals. Long-term, studies suggest more housing equals more affordability.
The cost of living brought Lauren Doughty to Mission last year.
"I think affordable housing is really important for our neighbors here in Mission," Doughty said. "We also like Johnson Drive, and we like to have all the local businesses around."
Alhmood and Doughty hope rising rents don't price other renters out as more apartments are on the way.
"I love Mission. It's a very nice place. I don't want to be anywhere else," Alhmood said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
