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This South KC neighborhood takes on blight and generational wealth — one house at a time
Formerly incarcerated Missourians struggle for decades to find stable housing
After serving time in prison, Christine McDonald found herself living on the streets of Kansas City and in a pay-by-the-week motel. Robert Richardson, who also has a felony record, settled for a bug-infested apartment with an open hole in the front. They are far from alone in the struggle to find adequate, affordable housing as…
Another milestone underway in the Lykins neighborhood’s battle against blight
The Lykins Neighborhood Association in Kansas City is seeking proposals to build at least 15 new homes on more than 2.5 acres of vacant lots
Shocked by your natural gas bill? Thank last year’s winter storm.
If you live in Kansas City, Missouri, chances are your wallet just got hit with the impact of last year’s winter storm. While Kansas Citians haven’t faced widespread power outages this winter, natural gas providers are working to regain profit they lost during Winter Storm Uri in February 2021. The sustained cold temperatures caused demand…
What renters need to know about Kansas City’s new right-to-counsel law
Beginning in June, all tenants threatened with eviction will be guaranteed access to a lawyer if they want one, thanks to an ordinance the City Council approved last week.
Kansas City families prepare for the end of the expanded federal child tax credits
Since 1997, most working families have been eligible for an income tax credit based on the number of children in a household. This year, millions of families across the U.S. benefited even more from the federal program.
The ABCs of tax incentives in KC: TIFs, PIEA, LCRA and more
The use of tax incentives, also referred to as tax breaks, has been criticized in Kansas City and nationwide for being too generous to developers who may not need them.
How economic development happens in Kansas City
Each development project is unique, and not all projects involve tax incentives. That’s why Kansas City’s economic development process looks less like a straight line from point A to point B and more like a flow chart.
Kansas City is developing a winter plan for unhoused people. Will it be enough?
The city, in partnership with nonprofits and social service groups, is exploring solutions that include expanding capacity at shelters, building pallet homes and improving coordination among city services and resources in the community.
Kansas City Land Bank chair departs amid oversight failures
The Kansas City Land Bank board of directors will vote to approve a replacement for interim chair Julie Anderson this week.
In Overland Park mayor’s race, tax breaks for developers take center stage
As Johnson County’s largest city experiences a boom, the use of tax incentives for development projects has become a central issue in the Overland Park mayoral race.
Local housing group and mayor share differing visions on a housing trust fund for Kansas City
In 2018, the Kansas City Council approved a Five-Year Housing Plan that included the creation of a $75 million housing trust fund.
Vacant lots, absentee owners, little accountability. What’s going on with the Kansas City Land Bank?
The Beacon found the Kansas City Land Bank has potential conflicts of interest between board members and buyers, and fails to hold buyers accountable to its own requirements.
In Kansas City, asphalt art is paving the way for safer streets
Kansas City is one of 26 cities in the United States that recently received an Asphalt Art Initiative Grant of up to $25,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies to create asphalt art installations to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
For many Kansas City refugees, job options depend on spotty public transportation
Many refugees had worked in specialized jobs in their countries of origin, Ashok Sanadi, executive director of KC for Refugees, said. KC for Refugees has worked with people who were doctors, information analysts and business owners in their previous homes. But because new arrivals don’t speak English fluently, they require jobs with minimal instruction. So…
The federal pandemic program that became a ‘godsend’ to Kansas City venues
The SVOG, which stopped accepting applications in August, had $16 billion available to distribute. The maximum grant amount allowed was $10 million.
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