KC building hit by years of complaints will be rehabbed to save affordable units
A historic Kansas City apartment building that’s struggled with health complaints and infrastructure issues is getting renovated to improve conditions and maintain affordable housing.
The Acquisition Group (TAG), a Kansas City-based development organization focused on affordable housing, presented details last month to fix up the eight-story Mayfair Apartments, 1224 E. Linwood Blvd., and preserve 59 affordable units for residents with lower incomes.
A board under the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City approved a plan for a 100% increased property tax break for 10 years to help support the project, which has received other incentives like tax credits and a city housing trust fund grant.
The renovation will address deferred maintenance issues in the building and upgrade the units with new fixtures, appliances and temperature control systems. The elevator will be replaced, while the building will receive safety and security updates like fire sprinklers, new cameras, lighting and a key fob entry system.
Management will also begin offering supportive services to residents, including those living in units set aside for homeless veterans.
Fifty of the units in the building will be for residents making up to 60% of the area median income, while 9 will be for those making up to 30% of the area median income, which for an individual in the Kansas City area is $23,400.
The Mayfair is about a century old and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Residents in the building receive rental assistance through a U.S. Housing and Urban Development program.
But the Mayfair developers say that deferred maintenance issues threaten housing stability for current tenants if left unaddressed, and the site could lose access to the HUD program if conditions are not improved. HUD can cancel housing assistance contracts for sites over health and safety concerns.
The Star previously reported in April that tenants in the building, which has faced several complaints to the city’s Healthy Homes program, had struggled with health and safety concerns inside the building for years, including pest infestations and maintenance issues. The city even posted a notice in January that prevented uninhabitable units from being rented to new tenants until concerns were addressed.
The owners said then that investments had kept the building habitable while work continued to raise money for a fuller rehabilitation.
The $18 million rehab could begin in February 2026 and finish by August 2027. Work will be done two floors at a time, and the plan is for residents to not be displaced from the building during construction.
This story was originally published November 10, 2025 at 5:37 AM.