As housing demand grows in Manhattan, city leaders struggle to move projects forward amid disagreements over funding.
Manhattan Mayor Susan Adamchak, who joined KMAN’s Within Reason with Mike Matson earlier this month, said she’s proud of the city’s accomplishments on housing over the past two years, but admits getting the USD 383 school board, Riley County and Manhattan commissions to fully agree on housing projects has been difficult.
“We had one project we tried to bring forward last year, which encompassed 40 different housing units, and the county was not persuaded that this was worth the investment,” she said.
As previously reported by The Mercury, Riley County unanimously voted in June 2025 to strike down a city proposal to use Reinvestment Housing Incentive District funding, a state tax incentive, for a 40-unit duplex project on Little Kitten Avenue.
During a March 11 city commission meeting discussion on housing policy, commissioner Larry Fox supported the county’s decision and said RHIDs weren’t fitting to use for a city of Manhattan’s size. Commissioner Andrew Von Lintel also opposed their use, outright saying, “If they come to me, I’ll just vote no for them.”
Fox and Von Lintel are two of the three new commissioners sworn in this year.
Adamchak said she viewed the housing units as a way to support Manhattan’s ongoing housing needs and hopes the project’s concept isn’t completely abandoned.
“I see this as a public tool that we can use to help support a common good that we need in our community,” she said. “I don’t want to see that taken out of our toolbox.”
With three new commissioners elected in November, Adamchak said priorities have shifted. She said she disagrees with statements made from constituents who told commissioners that they didn’t feel heard.
“I do listen and I hear what people say,” she said. “That doesn’t mean you’re always going to change my mind on my decision making. I have changed my vote on several occasions based on feedback from the community, and I probably will do that again.”
Adamchak said votes often come down to more than information provided from constituents.
“I don’t want to say we’re making decisions that are not transparent, but we have reams of materials that we read for each commission meeting,” she said. “I’ve had the wonderful experience of going to both, to state conferences, I’ve gone to two national conferences. I can benefit from that experience and from that knowledge that I am getting from outside sources that the person standing at the podium may not have.”
Adamchak said the current housing policy will be revised based on the commission’s successes and challenges.