Several cities and parts of rural Harvey County have common ground with a shortage of houses on the market and limited available land to build more housing. After an unprecedented increase in housing appraisal costs that was determined by market value, realtors in the area said the increase was being driven by a lack of houses on the market. Several cities confirmed that was the case but said one of the problems they were facing was limited land for housing. Karen Rothe, Harvey County’s planning, zoning and environmental director, manages housing starts for the rural areas in the county. Rothe said there were 15 housing starts for 2023. Rothe said she has noticed that houses on the market go quickly and new houses aren’t being built. She said new builds have slowed because some people wanting to build have to wait with the increased costs in materials. She added that when people move, fewer houses are being added to the market with the rise in Airbnbs in the county. After being approved to split off a five-acre lot from a 40-acre lot, she said this practice has become quite popular. She said she gets frequent phone calls asking her what the smallest size split is allowed or how many splits are allowed.
Source: Harvey County Now
