Elevate Design + Build Launches “Keys to the City” Campaign for Certain KCMO Residents.

Building homes in the urban core ensures a strong and diverse community that lasts. Vacant lots attract blight and crime, but new homes create a stronger and safer community. New homes also create the potential for increased property taxes. Legacy residents within the urban core can be pushed out if they are not financially ready for the increased cost to live in the neighborhood.

To avoid the need for current residents to move due to higher property taxes, Elevate Design + Build, an award-winning home builder currently building in Manheim Park, has partnered with the Manheim Park Neighborhood Association for a “Keys to the City” campaign. The home-building company has committed $30,000 to current Manheim Park homeowners to assist them in gaining access to city funds and tax abatement programs.

The three significant requirements needed to gain access to these programs are a minimum of $5,000 in home improvements, being current on property taxes and a current homeowner’s insurance policy. Oftentimes, homeowners cannot meet these requirements and are not eligible for the city’s programs.

The $30,000 donation from Elevate Design + Build will be key to assisting current homeowners in meeting these requirements so they can receive city funds. The donation will provide resources for home improvements, pay property taxes, and purchase homeowner’s insurance.

“We care about the residents in these communities and certainly don’t want our efforts to keep these communities strong to have the opposite effect of forcing people out,” said Angie Beerup, co-owner of Elevate Design + Build. “If we can assist current residents so they can stay in their homes, then that’s what we want to do.”

Once homeowners complete $5,000 in home improvements, are current on their property taxes, and have a homeowner’s insurance policy in place, they have the keys to lock in their eligibility for city funding and tax abatement programs such as RebuildKC and the Chapter 99 10-year tax abatement through the Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority (LCRA). Through these programs, legacy homeowners can protect and preserve the wealth they have accumulated through homeownership, which can then be passed down to the next generation.