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Affordable Housing Trends in Blue Hills: LIHTC Impact and Demographic Shifts
CATEGORY
Affordable Housing
DATA
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
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Affordable Housing
LIHTC Projects
Median Income
Racial Distributions
Population
Blue Hills, a neighborhood in Kansas City, Missouri, has a history of affordable housing initiatives, particularly through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. As of recent data, Blue Hills contains 10 LIHTC-funded affordable housing units, all designated as low-income. Based on a 2022 population of 4,411 and using the national average household size of 2.61, the neighborhood is estimated to have approximately 1,690 housing units. The LIHTC-funded affordable units represent about 0.59% of the estimated housing inventory in Blue Hills.
The LIHTC program has supported affordable housing in Blue Hills for several decades. The first LIHTC-funded projects in the neighborhood were completed in 1987, with properties at 5530 Brooklyn Ave and 5838 Olive St. The most recent project in the data was completed in 1995 at 5625 Paseo Blvd, indicating at least eight years of LIHTC investment in the area. The 1980s saw the most LIHTC activity in Blue Hills, with six out of the eight projects completed during this decade. Notable projects from this period include 5407 Wayne Ave (1988) and 5506 Park Ave (1989).
The LIHTC-funded projects in Blue Hills include three two-bedroom units, six three-bedroom units, and one four-bedroom unit. This distribution suggests a focus on providing housing for families of various sizes.
Over the past decade, Blue Hills has experienced demographic shifts. The population has decreased from 5,013 in 2014 to 4,411 in 2022. Despite this population decline, the median income has increased from $27,802 in 2014 to $41,927 in 2022. The racial composition of Blue Hills has also changed. The percentage of Black residents decreased from 86% in 2014 to 73% in 2022, while the percentage of white residents increased from 8% to 19% during the same period. The Hispanic population has increased slightly from 1% to 4%.
No new LIHTC projects have been reported in Blue Hills since 1995. The increasing median income and changing racial demographics might partially explain why new low-income housing projects have not been developed in recent years. However, other factors not captured in this data could also influence affordable housing development decisions.
The LIHTC program has contributed to the affordable housing stock in Blue Hills, with 10 low-income units spread across eight projects. These units represent a small percentage of the neighborhood's estimated housing inventory. The majority of LIHTC development occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with no new projects reported since 1995.
Blue Hills has experienced a decrease in population, an increase in median income, and shifts in racial composition over the past decade. These demographic changes may have influenced the perceived need for additional affordable housing in the area. However, LIHTC is just one of many affordable housing programs, and a comprehensive assessment of the neighborhood's affordable housing needs would require consideration of other housing initiatives and local economic factors.
