Rural Housing Incentive District Creation

In 2021, SB 90 expanded the definition of a “rural community” allowed into Kansas’ Rural Housing Incentive District program to include any city with a population less than 60,000. Essentially, this program allows the city to use property tax gains created by developer projects to reimburse developers for infrastructure costs like utilities, sidewalks, street grading and paving, street lighting, and more. 

The resulting lower cost for developers incentivizes more housing developments at various price points. Baldwin is officially part of the RHID program after going through the application process earlier this year as spelled out here. If you’re interested in the Housing Needs Analysis, it’s available here. There are enough numbers and charts to satisfy the geek in anyone, and it explains in detail why Baldwin City needs more housing and what our challenges are specifically.