Manhattan local news summary
Week of October 8 2025
Commission approves 40-unit infill housing project with incentives
City sets aside $300,000 as safeguard for state housing grant
New housing development to ban short-term rentals
Riley County jail reports record inmate population
County receives unmodified opinion on annual audit
District coroner position to become vacant at year’s end
Blue River Hills Road to close for two weeks
Commission approves 40-unit infill housing project with incentives
MANHATTAN, Kan. - The Manhattan City Commission unanimously approved a 40-unit affordable housing project Tuesday, providing a package of incentives aimed at addressing the city’s housing shortage. The Manhattan Infill Housing project, led by Frontier Development Group, will construct 22 for-sale homes and 18 rental units across two sites: LK Townhomes and Lee Mill Village. The project received a $1.45 million grant from the city’s workforce housing sales tax fund. Additionally, the 18 rental units were granted a 10-year property-tax abatement and a sales-tax exemption on construction materials via industrial revenue bonds.
City sets aside $300,000 as safeguard for state housing grant
MANHATTAN, Kan. - As a condition of the housing project’s approval, the city will place $300,000 from the workforce housing grant into a reserve fund. The measure is designed to protect the city from liability should the developer fail to meet the terms of a separate $650,000 Moderate Income Housing grant from the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation. City Attorney Katie Jackson confirmed that if the city is required to repay funds to the state, it can terminate the developer’s property-tax abatement and pursue recovery of any city funds already paid.
New housing development to ban short-term rentals
MANHATTAN, Kan. - The 40 homes included in the Manhattan Infill Housing project will be prohibited from being used as short-term rentals, such as those listed on Airbnb. Responding to a question from the commission, city staff confirmed that a restrictive covenant will be filed for each property, banning short-term rental use for 10 years, which is the duration of the economic development agreement tied to the project’s rental units.
Riley County jail reports record inmate population
RILEY COUNTY, Kan. — The Riley County Jail held its largest-ever sustainable inmate population in September, with an average daily population of 131.5, according to a report from the jail’s major to the county commission on Monday. The major thanked the board for approving capital improvement project funds a year ahead of schedule, noting that recent camera upgrades funded by the commission were instrumental in a recent internal investigation.
County receives unmodified opinion on annual audit
RILEY COUNTY, Kan. — Riley County received a clean audit for the year ended Dec. 31, 2024, according to a presentation by Jacob Kujath of James, Gordon & Associates CPA, P.A. The audit firm issued an unmodified opinion on the county’s regulatory basis financials, the highest level of assurance possible. The report noted no new material weaknesses or significant deficiencies. A finding from the previous year related to the health department's payroll process has been corrected and removed. While the county’s overall cash balance decreased by approximately $800,000, a $13 million transfer from the general fund to the capital improvement fund accounted for the majority of the general fund’s cash reduction.
District coroner position to become vacant at year’s end
RILEY COUNTY, Kan. — Riley County will need to appoint a new district coroner at the beginning of the new year, the county counselor informed the commission. The current district coroner will be leaving the post, and the county has begun the process of finding a replacement. The process involves seeking nominations from the local medical society, though the Board of Commissioners is not required to accept those nominations. The issue will be on the commission’s radar as the end of the year approaches.
Blue River Hills Road to close for two weeks
RILEY COUNTY, Kan. — A portion of Blue River Hills Road will be closed to through traffic for a structure replacement project starting Tuesday, Oct. 14. Alvin Perez, operations and fleet manager for the Public Works Department, announced that the closure will affect the section of road 1.3 miles north of Tuttle Creek Boulevard to Stockdale Park Road. Construction is expected to be completed and the road reopened by Friday, Oct. 31.
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