Baldwin City residents may remember the success of a moderate-income housing grant program that led to the construction of 10 new homes in the community in 2015 and 2016. The program that the Kansas Housing Authority Corp. approved in late 2014 made a $200,000 grant available for Baldwin City, which provided $20,000 that qualifying “moderate-income” individuals or families could use toward the down payment of a newly constructed home. Dave Hill, chairman of the Baldwin City Economic Development Corp. and president of Mid-American Bank, made the application for the grant.

The $200,000 for incentives is now gone, and some fear the new-home boomlet with it. At a work session scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at the Baldwin City American Legion Hall, 803 High St., Baldwin City Council members will discuss two proposals meant to incentivize new-home starts. No decisions will be made at the work session, which is open to the public.

One proposal to be discussed would have the city re-create the down payment incentive grant by having the city provide $10,000 for use toward the down payment on a newly constructed home. Baldwin City Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Hank Booth said he envisioned the incentive could lead to 10 to 15 new-home starts a year in the $150,000 to $250,000 price range.

The proposal would also be an incentive for owners of large lots on the city’s edge to open them for development with some assurance that lots would be purchased and they wouldn’t be stuck with higher property tax bills from rezoning, Booth said.

The proposal does not have the support of Baldwin City Mayor Marilyn Pearse.

“I don’t think it’s a good use of taxpayers’ dollars,” she said. “If we did 10 homes, it would be $100,000. That’s 3.3 mills. I don’t think that’s right.”

The city’s payback from additional property taxes would be eight years, which Pearse said was too long for the investment.

The other proposal to be discussed would create a citywide neighborhood revitalization plan.
The plan would provide property tax rebates to help offset the cost of new construction or reinvestment in existing properties. The rebates can equal all or a percentage of a property owner’s investments. The rebates can be available for up to 10 years.

In a report shared two years ago with the Baldwin City Council, then community development director Collin Bielser gave the example of a rebate available to the owner of newly constructed $200,000 home in a program that provides a 95 percent rebate on improvements. As new construction, the entire value of the home would be considered an improvement and eligible for rebates. Using 2015 mill levies, Bielser figured rebates would total $30,210 during the 10 years the home was eligible.

The above example assumed the participation of Douglas County and the Baldwin school district in the neighborhood revitalization plan. Should the city move forward with a neighborhood revitalization plan, the Douglas County Commission and Baldwin school board would decide if those taxing entities would participate in the rebate program.

By statute, municipalities must define revitalization areas within their boundaries and the proposed plan must be presented at a public hearing.

If both the proposed programs were approved, buyers of newly constructed homes would have their choice of using one of the incentives.

Booth said it was the BCEDC’s hope that at least one of the incentives was approved. The city badly needs new-home starts and affordable housing of single-family homes, duplexes and apartments, he said. There also are currently fewer than 15 lots in the community available for development, he said.

The Eudora community is looking to build on the success of last September’s Great Kaw Adventure Race. Eudora Mayor Tim Reazin said a committee is exploring creating a two-day event around the race that drew about 30 two-person teams to test themselves against a running course through Eudora, a canoe or kayak trip from Eudora to De Soto and a return bicycle trip on mostly gravel roads back to Eudora.

“Last year, we had the bounce house, food trucks and entertainment,” he said. “We want to try to grow that and open it up to a more community type thing. I really think the community should be aware of the history of the town we live in. The more we know about the history of the place we live in, the more involved people will be.”

The plan is to create Friday and Saturday festival that celebrates the community’s cultural heritage, Reazin said. He already has approached representatives of Haskell Indian Nations University about participating in the event, and they have an interest in having an American Indian dance demonstration and a food booth with flatbread and other foods. Eudora’s German heritage would also be celebrated, he said.

There will be another celebration in Eudora next month to mark the start of Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical’s ambulance service in the city. Reazin said the service would become active in the first week of February, perhaps as early as Wednesday. The plan is to have a formal dedication of the service in the second or third week of February, he said.

The Baldwin City Economic Development Corp. had its annual banquet and awards banquet Tuesday at The Lodge. A&H Air Conditioning and Heating and owners Bill Harmon and Alan Wright were honored as Business of the Year; Homestead Kitchen and Bakery owner and operator Lori Gardner was named New Business of the Year; and Bill Neuenswander received the Community Service Award.

The Lumberyard Arts Center is seeking art and sweets for its annual Chocolate Auction, which will start at 12:30 p.m. Feb. 12 at the center 718 High St. Art and all manner of chocolate treats for the children’s auction, silent auction and live auction will be accepted from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 11 and from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. the day of the auction.