KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A new market-rate apartment complex has popped up on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri.
The United States Department of Housing and Urban Development defines "affordable housing" as one which a household can obtain for 30% or less of its income.
Market-rate housing is not subsidized or limited to any specific income level.
“There isn’t anything like it, this part of the town,” said Parker Young, with Straub Construction, who built the complex.
In between Sun fresh and Swope Health now stands the Rochester Apartment complex.
Community Builders of Kansas City says this means 61 units are priced at $1,000 to $1,900, in addition to three reserved low-income units at $900 or no cost with a voucher.
Emmet Pierson Jr., the president of Community Builders of Kansas City, says the building is booked.
“We have a waiting list of over 280 people,” he said.
Pierson said the project is the first in a decade to be built that far east of Prospect Avenue.
“CB of KC has developed over 1,000 units of affordable housing on the east side of Kansas City, what we haven’t developed is housing like The Rochester,” he said. “This is not the answer to affordable housing, this is a part of a mixture of affordable housing, but this is housing for the missing middle who cannot go into rent restrictive housing.”
Pierson believes this is an answer for people in between.
“The missing middle is those individuals who make a little bit more money and can’t go into our restricted affordable units, anyone can live here if you make $200,000 and $20,000,” he said.
Rev. Amy Shoemaker is in favor with the new construction.
“To me, market rate means expensive,” she said. “That’s all well and good, but we have plenty of that in Kansas City, what we don’t have is affordable housing."
KSHB 41 News spoke with councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw who agrees. However, she said this project of "affordable luxury" is also needed.
Developers say this type of project is needed on the east side.
“They are able to still be in the community they grew up in, and lived in and give back and be a part of it in greater detail,” Young said.
But some think low income and affordable should reflect today’s prices.
“We have people making $15 an hour, 40 hours a week, we consider that a single full-time income that’s $2,400 a month,” Shoemaker said.
—
