Updates and outcomes from MARC's May Board meetings

Jun 22, 2026
| Posted in
News
Geoff Jolley, of LISC Greater Kansas City, speaks to the MARC Board about the Regional Housing Fund.

Thanks to everyone who joined the MARC Board of Directors and Budget and Personnel Committee meetings on May 26. We’re sharing selected highlights from the meetings for your awareness and use in regional conversations.

Board of Directors meeting

State of housing

The Kansas City region’s housing market is experiencing slower growth in new housing supply, with production at half the rate seen before the Great Recession, leading to a significant shortage of owner-occupied homes. Home values have nearly doubled since 2010, far outpacing income growth and making both ownership and rental housing less affordable, especially for low-income households. Demographic changes, such as an aging population and smaller household sizes, are increasing demand for a wider variety of housing types. 

MARC staff shared that one way local governments can respond is with policies aimed at increasing supply, preserving affordability and removing barriers to housing options. MARC and LISC Greater Kansas City are leading the Greater Kansas City Regional Housing Partnership with the goal of identifying tangible strategies for increasing housing production and availability across the region, including convening a Policy & Process Work Group, which will focus on improving housing policies to better address these needs.  

View presentation slides

Regional Housing Fund

Through the Greater Kansas City Regional Housing Partnership, MARC and LISC Greater Kansas City worked with local foundations, developers and housing finance experts to identify limited access to low-cost capital as a key barrier to housing production and to shape the Kansas City Regional Housing Fund. Geoff Jolley, LISC Greater Kansas City’s executive director, reported that the fund is expected launch in fall 2026 and will offer flexible financing products such as acquisition loans, construction loans and preferred equity to expand rental and for-sale housing across the nine-county region. 
 

Kansas City Regional Bikeway Plan

MARC has updated the Greater Kansas City Regional Bikeway Plan to help local governments implement safer, lower-stress bicycle facilities and improve connections across the region. A consultant team, led by Toole Design Group, analyzed regional data, engaged the public and agency partners, and developed a draft network and plan materials for review. The update supports ConnectedKC 2050 goals. The application process for future bicycle/pedestrian funding will incentivize alignment with the Regional Bikeway Network and MetroGreen system

 

Open Data Portal

MARC launched a new data portal that gives local governments, researchers, partners and residents one centralized place to explore and use regional data. The portal brings together datasets, interactive maps and place-based stories — organized by topic and format — to support planning, policy development, research and storytelling. Users can browse data and maps by subject, download data sets for their own work, and explore local stories and insights. 
 

Executive director search

David Warm, MARC’s Executive Director, announced last fall that he would retire in 2026. Johnson County Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick, Chair of the Search Committee comprised of MARC Board members, reported that interviews were completed in May and the committee will bring a final recommendation to the Board at its June 23 meeting.

Budget and Personnel Committee meeting

At the MARC Budget and Personnel Committee meeting on May 26, attendees took the following actions:

Website hosting

MARC is moving toward a more unified and sustainable approach to managing its web presence by selecting a single hosting platform for its websites. Staff identified Pantheon as the best-fit solution to support MARC’s sites, improving reliability, security, performance and long-term scalability. Committee members authorized a three-year, $62,595 contract for hosting, migration assistance and support.
 

Esri software

MARC has used Esri geographic information system software for nearly 25 years to map and analyze the location of communities, jobs, buildings, infrastructure and natural resources — and how they change over time. The committee approved a proposed agreement to continue MARC’s Esri license at a cost of $180,900 over three years to support data-informed decision-making across MARC and with regional partners.

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