Hillsboro gives land for housing
Staff writer
A project that aims to add housing to Hillsboro got an extra push Tuesday when city council members voted to transfer six acres of land to Mennonite Housing.
Mennonite Housing, based in Wichita, is applying for tax credits to pay for construction of homes for 24 families.
The land that council members gave the housing group is south of Dollar General and west of Carquest.
Mennonite Housing’s first application to Kansas Housing Resources Corp. is due in January but does not require much detail.
If the initial application is successful and a full application is made, that application will be due in May.
Mennonite Housing’s goal is to build 12 duplexes. Renters would be required to have annual income of no more than 80% of area median, and a limited number of duplexes would be available at below-market rent.
If the project goes forward, residents would likely be able to move in by the fall of 2025.
Another housing matter, though not discussed during Tuesday’s meeting, is that the city’s planning commission has approved a plan for a shipping container home to be built on 3rd St.
Council members will consider whether to give final approval at their Jan. 3 meeting.
City administrator Matt Stiles said the planning commission meeting was too close to the city council meeting to get the approval on Tuesday’s agenda.
In other matters, council members made minor adjustments to the annual city budget and voted to give employees a 4% cost-of-living raise in January and 2% merit increases in the summer.
Stiles told council members that Dale’s Supermarket had won a $25,000 Kansas Department of Commerce grant to repair its floor.
The grant will pay roughly a third of the cost of the work and the rest will be paid by the store.
Stiles also told council members that the planning commission decided to create a specific district for hospitals after hearing a request from Hillsboro Community Hospital to prohibit outside hospitals from opening facilities that siphon away more profitable services.
Stiles said the commission likely will work on the matter until March or April before its recommendation is presented to city council members.