Advanced Plans Committee

Advance Plans Committee Summary of Meeting Thursday, April 8, 2021 Meeting is conducted virtually via GoTo Meetings Attendance AP Committee Members: Bill Johnson, (Chair), Chuck Warren, Joe Johnson, Bob Dool (arrived late), Cindy Miles (arrived late), Ann Fox; Members Absent: Rob Hartman MAPD staff: Scott Wadle, Mary M. Hunt, Stephen Banks, Matt Williams, Paul Schiffelbein and Jeff VanZandt; Other: None; Discussion Summary 1. The meeting commenced at 10:31am with Chair Bill Johnson welcoming committee members. 2. Chairman Johnson asked for an approval of the March 4, 2021 meeting summary. Four members of the Committee were present and eligible to vote. The four members voted unanimously to approve the meeting summary. 3. Mary Hunt reviewed the agenda of today’s meeting. 4. M. Hunt shared information recently presented at a City Council Workshop. Examples of the financial gap in constructing a single-family home with a price point of $171,000 based on the cost to construct vs. the market will garner. A similar example was presented with a mixed-use development. Examples were shared based upon where in the Established Central Area the development occurred and the different levels of gap financing necessary to bring it to fruition. 5. M. Hunt shared that the land bank ordinance is expected to go forward with adoption in May or June of this year. The Board of Trustee composition has had considerable discussion and is in flux at this time. The Policy and Procedure document is nearly complete. The Land Bank Team has a small sub-group working on the final details and should have final draft completed soon. There is some work to complete regarding the ‘procedure’ section. Presentations on the Land Bank are taking place this month and next to various community groups and organizations, including the builders association, realtors, Rotary, neighborhood associations and the District Advisory Boards. Mr. Dool inquired whether funding has been established for the land bank. This remains unknown at this time. Commissioner Fox inquired about where the Land Bank operation would be located within the City’s organizational structure. M. Hunt responded that no decision has been made yet. Advanced Plans Committee Meeting Summary – April 8, 2021 1 6. M. Hunt indicated that staff is currently working on design standards for Duplex development as it relates to the Places for People plan. 7. Stephen Banks shared information about his discussion with Dr. Stanley Longhofer of WSU Center for Real Estate regarding the housing market in Wichita. S. Banks shared a graph comparing house sale permits and new home sales per total house sales from 2002 to 2021. New home constructed has been restricted. Existing homes don’t always meet the needs of older home-buyers. Subdivision activity has increased, however home prices need to be $250,000, or higher for builders to participate in the market. Currently, there is approximately a three-week supply of homes on the market. Building material prices have risen sharply along with a low supply of labor. Millennials are another demographic in the housing market where price point is a deterrent. S. Banks responded to a question regarding vacant lot inventory in residential areas, stating that beginning in the 1970’s the focus on vacant lots was in the fringe areas of Wichita, rather than the Established Central Area (ECA). S. Banks further explained that to identify vacant lots in the ECA is problematic due to ownership and the actual availability of land to be built upon. Most lots within the ECA have infrastructure available and it is difficult to determine if a lot is available or is someone’s yard. Due to the way subdivisions were established early on, lots were 25’ feet wide, requiring a home builder to acquire two or three lots for a home. Consequently, it is difficult to estimate the number of buildable, vacant lots within the ECA at this time. Commissioner Fox offered to share with staff how Habitat has used information from the County GIS in estimating the number of vacant lots. This would be useful in establishing a baseline inventory to measure the impact of Places for People policies. The Commissioner shared that the cost of building materials has risen sharply impacting the willingness of builders to build in the ECA. 8. Chairman Bill Johnson reminded the members the next meeting of the Advance Plans Committee will take place on Thursday, May 6, 2021 beginning at 10:30 am. 9. With no further business, the meeting adjourned at 11:11 am. Advanced Plans Committee Meeting Summary – April 8, 2021 2