The Kansas Housing Conference returned this week to its first in-person gathering since before the Covid-19 pandemic — and a lot has changed in the housing market the last two years. “This is a really pivotal time for us in our industry in affordable housing, and specifically here in Kansas,” said Emily Sharp, a spokesperson with the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, which puts on the annual conference. “… I think that the pandemic really put a lot of the housing challenges that were already existing in our state, and across the nation, really under the microscope.” It’s also the conference’s largest crowd yet. The three-day event started Tuesday and runs through Thursday at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Wichita. In its 17th year, the conference has 600 registered participants.
Source: Wichita Business Journal

Closed since it was struck by a destructive EF-3 tornado on April 29, the Andover YMCA branch will be rebuilt “better than ever,” said Ron McMahon, CEO of the Greater Wichita YMCA. “The whole thing will be redone — every floor, every finish, every wall will be completely redone,” McMahon said Wednesday in an interview with the WBJ. It was the first time the YMCA has announced its next steps in Andover since the tornado tore a 13-mile path through portions of Sedgwick and Butler counties three months ago. One of 10 branch locations in the Wichita area, the YMCA was one of the worst-hit businesses in the storm, which wrecked the outdoor waterpark, tore back portions of the roof and launched vehicles from the parking lot into the front lobby.
Source: Wichita Business Journal