Peabody trying to address housing
Staff writer
Peabody Community Foundation is trying to bring affordable apartments to the town.
The city applied for a middle-income housing grant.
In recent years the population in Peabody decreased by 40%, past foundation member Brian Simmonds said.
If the grant is approved, two quadplexes would be built on the south side of the town creating eight apartments.
Rent would be based on income.
The landowner has agreed to sell the property upon approval of the grant, Simmonds said.
“We used to be a bedroom community to Wichita 15 years ago, but gas prices changed that,” Simmonds said.
Some infrastructure would need to be set up. Where the quadplexes would be built, sewer lines are 14 feet underground.
Simmonds said there are some homes up for sale, but the better ones sell fast.
“Trying to find a good house is difficult,” Simmonds said. “We have a lot of rentals, but they fill up quickly.”
Many jobs, especially in town government, require employees to live locally.
“A lot of people come here because the cost of living is lower than the big cities,” he said. “My hope is to build some new homes in Peabody.”
Paige Barnes with Peabody Community Foundation thinks the eight apartments would be ideal for certain professions.
“It is geared toward someone like a teacher coming to Peabody,” Barnes said. “We struggle with teacher retention.”
Three of her friends are struggling to find a place to live, she said.
“They want to come here but can’t find a place to rent,” she said. “Once we can address that we can do a lot of other things.”
A study a few years ago indicated that the town’s top issue was housing.
The Marion County Commission expressed strong support of an application for the middle-income housing grant.