A Prairie Village home that previously received an exterior grant. Image via city documents.
More properties could soon be eligible for two home improvement grant programs in Prairie Village.
The Prairie Village City Council during a council committee of the whole discussion on Dec. 4 agreed to increase the maximum average home value for properties qualifying for the city’s exterior grant program, which aims to incentivize homeowners to beautify their property.
In addition, the city offers sustainability grants for homeowners looking to decrease their properties’ environmental impact.
In addition, the council is weighing whether to increase the overall budgets for both the exterior and sustainability grant programs, as well as create an annual schedule that could allow for a second round of grants next year.
What are these programs?
The exterior grant program, created in 2008, aims to “encourage homeowners to invest in their home’s curb appeal,” according to city documents.
Some eligible projects for the exterior grant program include improvements to lighting, concrete, foundations, gutters, roofs and garage doors.
The sustainability grant program aims to “encourage residents to reduce their carbon footprint” by completing energy efficiency projects.
Some eligible projects for the sustainability grant program include improvements to air conditioning, solar panels, furnaces, water heating equipment, windows, doors, skylights and insulation.
What are the proposed grant program changes?
City staff recommended the following changes for the exterior and sustainability grant programs in 2024:
Increase the maximum appraised value for properties eligible for the exterior grant program from $375,000 to $400,000.
Shorten the window by which projects that are awarded city funds must be completed from 180 days to 120 days. Staff said speeding up the timeframe for completing one round of projects could allow the city to conduct a second round of applications later in the year if funds are still available.
Increase the overall exterior grant budget to $90,000 and the sustainability grant budget to $40,000, aided, in part, by $30,000 in leftover unused 2023 funds.
A Prairie Village exterior grant recipient that received a new roof. Image via city documents.
What the grant money was used for in 2023
The city awarded $60,000 total in exterior grants, with 32 separate residential projects getting roughly $1,800 each on average.
There were 15 sustainability grants awarded in 2023, at an average of $2,000 per recipient for a total of $30,000 given.
City staff said 10 exterior grant applications were abandoned and two sustainability applications were abandoned this year.
Driveway, siding, exterior paint and window improvements were among the top exterior grant projects in 2023.
Windows, insulation and HVAC improvements were some of the top sustainability program projects in 2023.
There are concerns about allowing landlords to participate
Councilmembers Inga Selders and Greg Shelton expressed concern about allowing landlords or investor-owners to use exterior grant program funds.
Councilmember Terrence Gallagher said one of the driving forces behind creating the program 15 years ago was to beautify the city and increase values for homeowners.
Gallagher said at the time of the creation of the exterior grant program there were some rental properties in the city seen as “eyesores,” and they were made eligible for the program in the hopes they could be improved.
City documents show two landlords received exterior grants in 2022, and one landlord received a sustainability grant in 2022 and 2023.
What’s next:
City staff is bringing back two separate agenda items under new business to further discuss the specifics at the city council meeting on Monday, Dec. 18.
The Prairie Village City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month.
Go deeper: Watch the entire Dec. 4 discussion online here, starting at 3:08:12.
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