info, Author at Ranson Financial Group LLC

In 2040 planning project, Lenexa residents envision a future for city that’s ‘thriving, connected and livable’

info2018-08-09T07:09:44-05:00August 9th, 2018|

Thriving, connected and livable: These are three recurring descriptors that have emerged from Lenexa residents who have taken part in Vision 2040, the city’s long-range visioning project. Vision 2040 started on Feb. 21, when Mayor Michael Boehm called for volunteers during his state of the city speech for steering committee meetings, task forces and community forums. The process is about halfway completed. Organizers expect to finish their work in November and present their final findings to the City Council, Sheila Shockey of Lenexa-based Shockey Consulting, who is conducting the Vision 2040 effort, told the council at its Tuesday night meeting. The [...]

Downtown Wichita developer says rental market might be under-supplied soon

info2018-08-09T07:08:20-05:00August 9th, 2018|

Wichita rents are down slightly, according to a national report, but one developer says downtown is a hot market. A recently-released Apartment List report shows that Wichita rents were down by a modest 0.6 percent in July and down 0.3 percent year-over-year. While Apartment List describes the Wichita rental market as “cool with soft demand,” developer Jason Van Sickle says the downtown market is healthy. “Things are really strong downtown right now,” Van Sickle says. “I know that the Colorado Derby Lofts and River Vista are leasing up nicely. I hear the same from other downtown apartment owners and managers.” “I [...]

Harvey County Historical Society Museum adds ‘mule’ to collection

info2018-08-09T07:04:17-05:00August 9th, 2018|

An old mule was reunited with an old friend and coworker Aug. 7 with help of a retired teacher, the county historical society and the Harvey County Road and Bridge Department. Put into place using a county crane, the mule — an old tractor-type vehicle — was hitched up to a former railroad cart used as a luggage rack and more in the heyday of passenger rail at the Newton train station. According to Jim Meier, superintendent of the Harvey County Road and Bridge Department, a search of the mule’s serial number showed a manufacture date of 1949. At the time, [...]

Sunday liquor sales pass by wide margin in Emporia

info2018-08-09T06:58:42-05:00August 9th, 2018|

Emporians voted in favor of Sunday alcohol sales Tuesday, approving a measure passed by the Emporia City Commission in April. A petition to put the ballot up to a city-wide vote received enough signatures, and residents living within city limits had the opportunity to let their voices be heard on the matter in Tuesday's Kansas Primary Election. The measure passed with 1,954 (57.76 percent) "Yes" votes opposed to 1,352 (42.24 percent) "No." As a result, Emporians will be able to purchase liquor in the city on Sundays after the election results are certified. Emporia City Commissioner Rob Gilligan said he was [...]

Dickinson County voters OK courthouse renovation

info2018-08-09T06:56:55-05:00August 9th, 2018|

Changes are on the horizon at the Dickinson County Courthouse after voters on Tuesday approved a $13.5 million bond issue for improvements. The vote in favor of issuance of bonds was 1,851 to 1,800. County Administrator Brad Homman said about 73 provisional ballots remain to be counted when Dickinson County commissioners canvass the election at 9 a.m. Monday at the courthouse. Just a year ago, voters rejected a proposal to issue $15.9 million in bonds for courthouse improvements, to be paid off over 34 years. The money would have been used to fix plumbing problems that caused a sewage odor, to [...]

Garden City commission approves developer’s agreement for brewery

info2018-08-09T06:55:06-05:00August 9th, 2018|

The Garden City Commission approved a developer’s agreement with Fulton’s Founders Brewery, Inc., at its meeting Tuesday, shortly following a public hearing that classified the property as a community improvement district. Commissioner Dan Fankhauser recused himself from voting since he’s an architect for the brewery project. He did not vote on any items regarding downtown development projects. Following a public hearing led by Steve Cottrell, assistant to the city manager, the commission approved an ordinance that would create a community improvement district around the brewery’s property and allow the business to charge an additional 1 percent local sales tax on top [...]

Parsons OKs tax break for hotel project

info2018-08-09T06:53:51-05:00August 9th, 2018|

As expected, the Parsons City Commission approved a 10-year property tax exemption for a hotel and conference center project. The commissioners approved the resolution approving the exemption for the future Holiday Inn Express and conference center now being built near 16th Street and Cattle Drive. That action came after a public hearing for the industrial revenue bonds of up to $8.5 million that will be issued to Parsons Hospitality Holdings LLC, which is developing and will own and operate the hotel and conference center. The city commission originally had planned to incentivize the conference center project by allowing Parsons Hospitality Holdings [...]

City of Topeka tables College Hill dog park vote, votes to hear public opinion on Cyrus Hotel sales tax issue

info2018-08-09T06:51:53-05:00August 9th, 2018|

Whether a lot meant for townhouses will now be the bastion of dogs was tabled, and the Topeka City Council voted to hear public opinion on raising sales tax at a soon-to-open downtown hotel. The council tackled those issues during its regular meeting Tuesday. Owners of the College Hill Apartments would like to turn a vacant lot into a dog park for its residents. That plan passed the Topeka Planning Commission 6-2 in June, but council members unanimously voted Tuesday to table approval of the item until next week while staff members answer critical questions about the half-acre parcel. In a [...]

New development continues to add to Derby’s growth

info2018-08-08T15:14:54-05:00August 8th, 2018|

The longtime mantra in the real estate business is location, location, location, and in that regard, marketing officials with Preferred Properties of Kansas Inc. believe they’ve followed that guideline with NorthBrook, a new single-family housing project. The housing development is just east of Woodlawn and just south of 55th Street South, right under the north city limit. “We’re in Derby, but just a few miles from McConnell and Spirit,” said David Lake, supervising broker and sales manager with Preferred Properties. Read more: Derby Informer.

Prairie Village council sends home construction guidelines to planning commissioners

info2018-08-08T15:13:15-05:00August 8th, 2018|

After more than two hours of debate, the Prairie Village City Council on Monday agreed to send a slate of proposed residential construction guidelines and restrictions to planning commissioners for their input. The 8-2 vote represented just the latest step in the council’s effort to deal with a surge of property owners tearing down older, smaller homes across the city and replacing them with much larger structures that some residents complain are at odds with the character of their neighborhoods. The discussion also highlighted some of the continuing divisions on the council itself on how best to protect the charm of [...]

About info