RESOLUTION NO. 260306
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Sponsor: Mayor Quinton Lucas
RESOLUTION - Directing the City Manager to require expedited permit approval in housing construction, with priority processing for projects meeting defined affordable housing eligibility metrics and structure to waive permit fees for qualifying affordable housing projects as defined by City Code § 88-810-058; and to designate an Affordable Housing Permit Navigator to assist qualifying applicants.
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WHEREAS, in November, 2017, the City Council passed unanimously Resolution No. 170825 that directed the City Manager to provide information on the overall state of housing policy at the federal, state and local levels; and in 2024, the City Council adopted Resolution No. 240997, directing the development of a Comprehensive Anti-Displacement Plan to address rising displacement risks across the City; and
WHEREAS, the Anti-Displacement Plan, adopted by Ordinance No. 250600, identified improvement of the development process as a critical strategy to create more affordable housing, finding that developers cite permit delays and that streamlining these processes is essential to meeting the City’s affordable housing goals; and
WHEREAS, Kansas City continues to face a significant affordable housing shortage, with a substantial share of low- and moderate-income households experiencing cost burden, with an estimated shortage of 64,000 units as of October 2025; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Kansas City Code § 88-810-058, “Affordable Housing” is defined as housing that a household having income equal to or below seventy percent (70%) of the median income for all households within Kansas City, Missouri, as estimated and reported by the American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, as updated from time-to-time, would be able to afford if it were to expend not more than thirty percent (30%) of such income for the mortgage or rent, including other housing expenses such as property taxes, insurance, and utilities; and
WHEREAS, regulatory barriers and delays, such as delayed permitting, add unanticipated costs to housing construction with a deleterious effect on housing production, including the affordable supply; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. The City Manager is hereby directed to conduct a ninety (90) day review and report back to Council staff guidance or concerns as pertains to the following proposals to expedite permitting procedures to allow construction of more housing in Kansas City, with particular focus on qualifying affordable housing projects:
A. Expedited Permitting Deadlines as Required by Ordinance
a. Within fifteen (15) days after receipt of an application permit for a qualifying affordable housing project, or within thirty (30) days for all other residential construction projects, the City shall review the application and shall request submittal of all additional information the City, by and through its different departments, is permitted by law to require. Within fifteen (15) days after receipt of such additional information for qualifying affordable housing projects and thirty (30) days for all other projects, the City shall review it and may request only that information needed to clarify such additional information or to answer new questions raised by or directly related to additional information.
b. A permit shall be approved, denied, or subject to a notice of proposed agency action within thirty (30) days after receipt of the original application for a qualifying affordable housing project, or within sixty (60) days for all other residential permit applications.
c. For purposes of this resolution, a “qualifying affordable housing project” means a residential development in which housing units meet the definition of ‘Affordable Housing’ as set in City Code § 88-810-058, which defines it as the following:
i. “A household having income equal to or below seventy percent (70%) of the median income for all households within Kansas City, Missouri, as estimated and reported by the American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, as updated from time-to-time, would be able to afford it if it were to expend not more than thirty percent (30%) of such income for the mortgage or rent, including other housing expenses such as property taxes, insurance, and utilities.”
d. The City or a department therein may not require as a condition of approval for a permit or as an item to complete a pending permit application that an applicant obtain a permit or approval from any other local, state, or federal agency without explicit Code authority to require such permit or approval.
B. Review of Regulatory Barriers to Further Development of Affordable Housing Construction
a. Requiring that all future ordinance revisions proposed by staff be reviewed under a cost-benefit analysis and that regulatory changes be presented to public stakeholders in sufficient for timely public notice and comment review, and that each such analysis shall include an explicit affordability impact assessment identifying whether the proposed regulatory change is likely to increase, decrease, or have a neutral effect on production of qualifying affordable housing in Kansas City.
C. Affordable Housing Permit Navigator
a. The City Manager is directed to designate a single point of contact, an “Affordable Housing Permit Navigator,” to assist applicants for qualifying affordable housing projects in navigating permitting requirements.
b. The Navigator shall be responsible for coordinating among City departments as necessary, tracking permit application status, and flagging applications that are approaching the expedited deadlines established in this resolution.
Section 2. The City Manager is hereby directed to develop and present to the Council, within ninety (90) days, a proposed tiered permit fee waiver structure for qualifying affordable housing projects as defined in this Resolution. Fee waivers shall apply automatically upon a project's demonstration that meets the definition of Affordable Housing under City Code § 88-810-058, without requiring a separate waiver application. The proposed structure shall address: (1) a tiered fee waiver schedule based on depth of affordability; (2) eligible permit fee types; and (3) a minimum affordability covenant period.
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