NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council approved agreements at its meeting on Tuesday to allow for work to begin in the Plum Creek Development near Plum Creek Elementary. The intent is to get 29 places to live built by next year, but Jim Strawn was realistic when he spoke to the council.
"When we started this project, it's been probably a couple of years ago, we spent an unbelievable amount of time in the engineering, going through that and the processes," Strawn said. "This has been one difficult project to keep moving forward, just because, everyone is short staffed. The city's short staffed on their end. Our engineers are busy. They are probably short staffed. It has taken us a lot longer to get to the point that we are right now. We're here. There are no guarantees that we're going to get all those houses built in that time frame."
The hope is to get middle income professionals to buy these homes.
"We're just hoping that things will get squared away and people will come and buy," Strawn said. "This is our best chance, to have an RHID, where we have absolutely minimal, minimal special assessments at all."
Strawn said he needs the inventory, so he's committed to building as quickly as is practical.
"Our inventory is getting down, especially in the entry level," Strawn said. "With the grant and things that we have and the RHID, I hope that this will bring people into Hutchinson, and people from within Hutchinson will see the benefits and come and buy houses."
The council passed the RHID unanimously.