Instead of demolished, KC home got new life after fire. Can the city save more?

A photo shows a small Kansas City home devastated by fire: half the facade completely scorched, windows and doors gone, debris strewn in the yard and a porch roof that appears to have melted.

The city declared the Van Brunt Boulevard home to be dangerous in 2021, meaning it posed a threat to the public’s safety and would either need to be repaired or demolished.

Now, that same home in the Lykins neighborhood in northeast Kansas City was listed for sale for $125,000 earlier this year as a fully remodeled, cute blue bungalow. That came after the neighborhood association took legal action using tools under Missouri law starting in 2020 to address nuisances.

The property eventually had a new owner and permits filed for work on the home, records show — work that saved the old home instead of turning to the wrecking ball.

It’s a success story that Kansas City hopes to replicate — maintaining and restoring more historic homes that land on the dangerous buildings list as much-needed affordable housing.

The City Council signed off last month on starting pilot program with Neighborhood Legal Support of Kansas City, an organization that helps neighborhood organizations, like Lykins, use legal tools and file cases to help carry out rehab projects on blighted properties.

“This pilot program is about changing our mindset from demolition to preservation,” said 3rd District At-Large Councilmember Melissa Patterson Hazley in a statement. “Every home we save will be an affordable housing unit and a step toward stronger, more stable neighborhoods. I’m excited to see this common-sense approach take root in the Historic Northeast and beyond.”

High-profile dangerous buildings cases in Kansas City, like the collapsed Family Dollar on Broadway Boulevard and the soon-to-be-lost Jeserich Building at 31st and Main streets, often make the news, but many of the structures on the list are unassuming homes in residential neighborhoods, often impacted by fire.

When the city has to step in to demolish a dangerous building for the public’s safety, it can cost up to $16,000.

With the $90,000 pilot program, the city hopes to instead repair and save 15 homes in the Historic Northeast area, where Neighborhood Legal Support has already been working for years. The city expects to save around $200,000 by focusing on repairs instead of demolitions, according to a news release.

“The neighborhood services department is committed to preserving buildings whenever possible,” Forest Decker, director of neighborhood services, said in a statement. “Demolition is a last resort. We want to make sure every viable option for restoration has been explored before a structure is removed.”

Neighborhood Legal Support has also found private funding to help support the rehab of 10 more properties. Of the 50 or so properties on the dangerous buildings list in Northeast neighborhoods, most could be saved or are already being rehabbed following the designation, according to the organization.

If the program is successful, it could expand to more neighborhoods as the city seeks to promote and save affordable housing across the city.