KSHB 41 reporter Charlie Keegan covers politics on both sides of the state line. If you have a story idea to share, you can send Charlie an email at charlie.keegan@kshb.com.
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As Kansas City, Missouri, welcomes several big development projects in 2025, Mayor Quinton Lucas says the city will place equal attention on keeping the city affordable for longtime residents.
“I think Kansas City can walk and chew gum. We can build cool, new stuff and we can also build affordable opportunities for everyone in our region,” explained Mayor Quinton Lucas.
Highlights coming to Kansas City in 2025 include completion of the southern extension of the KC Streetcar, continued work on updating the Country Club Plaza under new ownership, fine-tuning an $800 million plan to develop Berkley Riverfront Park, and preservation updates in the West Bottoms.
All the attention, and a host of other reasons, led the National Association of Realtors to name Kansas City in its 10 hottest housing markets of 2025.
“There was a huge fluctuation in price, amenities, and just everything,” said Corei Wilson, who moved to a Kansas City apartment in November. “The flip side of that is I did find kind of exactly what I wanted. There were a lot of different options and I just kept looking until I found what I wanted.”
Wilson and others worry the ranking from the NAR and the bump in development could increase demand and hurt affordability. That’s where Lucas steps in.
“We’re going to preserve buildings, we’re going to get mixed-income housing and mixed-use development, including retail. That’s the kind of development that brings jobs, but also has elements of affordability,” the mayor said.
He pointed out the city’s investment in Parade Park, a development in the city’s urban core that will preserve or create more than 1,000 units for low-income families and seniors.
Since 2018, the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund has invested nearly $40 million which has led to the creation of more than 2,000 affordable housing units.
Wilson’s on board with the city getting involved to help maintain the balance in his new home.
“This is not like a luxury we’re talking about,” Wilson said. “People need shelter, that’s one of the base level needs of everybody.”
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