The LJWorld voter’s guide was published last weekend (10/19/2025). Here is my detailed answer to the fourth question about Housing Affordability:
- What are some steps you would take to address the housing need in Lawrence?
I think this is so important that I am already working on this solution to make housing more affordable in Lawrence and to demonstrate to our community what type of leader I would be as a City Commissioner. I have no financial investment in this project.
During this campaign, I have advocated for modular, off-site built homes to address our community’s housing needs. A 2018 City study concluded that first-time homeowners could afford between $125-265K for a new house. New homes on the market are currently sold at almost $100K more than this range. Homes built off-site are 30-40% cheaper than on-site, stick-built homes and could provide houses in that identified range of affordability, making homeownership a possibility for renters who want to own their home.
This year, I have worked with a team to propose a development of 100 modular homes within the City limits. I brought together advisors from Nebraska Furniture Mart, Berkshire Hathaway, and the Wolf Creek modular project in Overland Park. The team found a parcel of land and worked with the landowners on how this could benefit the community. We have met with neighborhood representatives, and last week, my team and I met with the Planning Department to discuss this project.
The Land Development Code has prioritized in-fill over other forms of housing. In 2022, the LJWorld reported that there were only 500 available lots in all of Lawrence. This lack of available space has made all homes more expensive, which has greatly increased property taxes and rental prices.
I truly believe that affordable single-family homes are and should be an option for our community and that they have not been prioritized since the Land Development Code was finalized. The City should be encouraging the development of duplexes, townhomes, and other middle options as well. All these options will allow Lawrence residents to put down roots and to generate wealth by owning land and property.
A study by Wichita State anticipates that Lawrence will be the fastest growing city in Kansas over the next 50 years, with hundreds of new homes being built per year. Last year 57 new homes were built, and we are barely over 20 new homes this year. Our community is only going to gain adequate housing if we create more lots by annexing land to the west and to the east. Expanding eastward would provide housing options for people who work in Johnson County and at the Panasonic Plant. There is also a larger industrial push in De Soto with the upcoming expansion of the Merck facility and the new industrial data center complex on the western edge of De Soto.