KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One Kansas City neighborhood known as an eyesore for many years is in the middle of a renovation to add appeal and bring down costs of utilities for tenants. The area is at 24th Street and Garfield.
Rent is going up because of the improvements, but utility bills are expected to drop considerably.
Non-Profit Kansas City Developer ‘blue Hills Community Service’ took over as property manager of this neighborhood in 2007. Not long after, they came up with a blueprint for this sub division known as Oakland Heights.
“Many of the units needed substantial improvement and we were able to make improvements to get it back up,” says Cliff Pouppirt, Director of Planning for Blue Hills.
When completed 40 single family homes and 68 town homes will be brand new from the inside out. The cost of construction is eight million dollars, which means rent will go up, but residents say it’s worth it.
When Momin Ansare moved in back in 1993, rent was $200, now it is closer to $600 after the improvements.
“That’s over 20 years. Whether they would have done this or not, I think the rent would have been gone up anyway,” says Ansare.
Kansas City Council Member Jermaine Reed released this statement about the project. “This housing development will provide quality, energy-efficient homes for low-income residents in the third district who have been overlooked for too long. This development along with the ALDI, the East Patrol Crime Lab and several other developments in the works has the potential to make life better for citizens living along the Prospect Corridor.”
Blue Hills says it is important for them to make all the homes as energy efficient as a brand new home, since utility bills can be one of the biggest expenses homeowners face every month. This entire project is expected to be finished in September of 2012.
