By Tim Unruh
Sauntering dust clouds rising above timber lines are proof that expansion is happening on a 50 acre-plus patch of land in southwest Salina.
Partially hidden from view, AeroPlains Housing edition is sprouting townhouse-style domiciles, and investors are beaming as a passel of their housing dreams are maturing this spring.
“It’s a level of energy efficiency, material and construction quality, and many features at price points that do not exist anywhere else in central Kansas,” said Derek Lee, general manager of Long McArthur, the Ford dealership in Salina.
The longtime leader of transportation transactions in these parts, occasionally breaks from contraptions with tires to further other endeavors.
In this case, it’s helping Salina add much-needed places to live.
A celebration is planned at 3 p.m. May 22 with a ribbon cutting at the AeroPlains development. Six businessmen endeavored to ease the housing shortage a few years ago, and are sticking to their plan, despite some financial setbacks.
A major job producer and neighbor is pleased to see the housing sprout nearby.
"The AeroPlains Housing development is an important piece of the broader strategy to support sustainable growth at the Salina Regional Airport,” said Pieter Miller, executive director of the Salina Airport Authority. It was formed 60 years ago in the wake of the closing of Schilling Air Force Base.
Local leaders took the gift of the military installation and transformed it into a diverse center of economic growth for Salina and the region.
The new, aptly named neighborhood, aims to serve as a good fit for the growing city.
“As our tenants expand operations and create new jobs, access to quality housing nearby becomes essential,” the SAA leader said. “AeroPlains helps meet that need — offering a modern, convenient residential option that strengthens our ability to attract and retain a skilled workforce right here in Salina."
A housing study released in 2022, told a challenging story, showing “Salina was nearly 1,000 homes short,” Lee said, “and it was only getting worse each year.”
Part of that was hinged to some booming news, that new jobs from new and expanding employers was, and still is, causing housing demand to soar.
He’s among the business leaders who joined like-minded folks to ease these spoils of growth.
They formed Building Kansas LLC, with a “big-picture” goal of providing two- or three-bedroom homes, each with two-car garages — two bathrooms for the smaller units and three bathrooms for the larger ones.
The townhomes are sized from a bit more than 1,000 square feet to more than 1,500, and priced at $199,000 and $229,000, respectively. Each garage has an underground storm shelter.
“Also setting us apart; we made a conscious decision early that we would not build a home that we would not live in ourselves,” Lee said.
The new homes are “move-in ready, turn-key,” he added, and prospective buyers can choose between three floor plans — named after makes of business jets, Lear, Citation, and Gulfstream — designed by architect Fred Schneider, of Lawrence.
“Fred’s really got it down. He’s the best,” Lee said.
Every home design is handicap accessible, with three zero entry points, he added. Designing the townhomes went through “eight iterations,” said Lance Cochran, an attorney for Kennedy Berkley law firm, of Salina, and one of the six investors, who brainstormed all sorts of ways to make the homes inviting and comfortable. Among them was placing electrical outlets in the walk-in pantries, he said, so the crock pot and other appliances could do their work without cluttering the kitchen.
Downspouts for rain guttering was plumbed into the center of each lawn, Lee said. That was meant to avoid runoff that could turn walkways dangerously icy in the winter.
“We don’t want any surprises,” he said.
They enjoy giving tours and pointing out an array of built-in amenities.
“We sound like proud parents,” Cochran said.
Those “finishing touches” that are already provided makes AeroPlains inviting, said Mari Loder, the listing agent of Coldwell Banker Antrim-Piper Wenger Realtors, 631 E. Crawford.
“It’s being able to purchase a brand-new home without any special taxes and with the grant money applied to purchase prices, it makes a new home affordable for all types of buyers,” she said, “anybody from a retiree, young family to a first-time buyer. It’s pretty impressive.”
Loder is the top salesperson locally and ranks fourth nationally for Coldwell Banker. She was awarded the International President’s Premier Award from Coldwell Banker for being in the top one percent of all sales associates worldwide. The company also recognized Loder as the top sales associate in Kansas for her 2024 production, according to a Feb. 25 press release from Coldwell Banker APW.
“She is incredible. We wouldn’t have been able to move forward unless she signed on to represent the home,” Lee said. “She happens to be the one to call, and she takes care of it.”
Building Kansas members have a good share of collective experience. Three of them were involved in the Stockholm Estates addition on the eastern limits of Lindsborg 2020 to 2025, which added more than 50 homes, and added residents to the town’s population that is nearing 4,000 today.
It was a gratifying project to Cochran. He started Salina’s Community Housing Development Organization of Central Kansas in 2005, and continues at president. His wife, Kim Cochran, is CHDO’s rental manager.
“I’ve always been active in real estate, It’s always been a passion, and Salina’s in desperate need of low- to moderate-income housing,” Lance Cochran said. “AeroPlains is kind of a progression. It sounds cheesy, but there’s something kind of fundamental about making a difference in your community. We’re helping countless people improve their standard of living.”
He’s among the six Building Kansas investors.
“These guys stepped up, and we’re giving it the old college try,” he said.
Cochran and Lee enjoy projects. They once worked together to restore and sell a 2005 Mustang.
“I Love cars, Lee loves cars, and (the housing development) seemed like a natural fit, kind of a progression,” Cochran said. “Now we’re trying to build really quality housing.”
Kansas’ First Time Home Buyer program is available for those who qualify.
“One home we sold recently was to a young family who used that and they’re getting an affordable brand new home with high efficiency and down payment assistance,” Lee said. “In their own words, ‘It was a dream come true.’ ”
Another alternative is buying “an old home that needs a lot of work. It’s very expensive and harder to keep up,” he said. “These (AeroPlains) homes have landscaping and new sod, a sprinkler system, window blinds, and the special assessments are already paid.”
AeroPlains homes have Kansas Housing Resources Corporation energy certification, which includes R-15 wall insulation and R-49 in the attic, LED lighting, energy efficient, double-paned windows, and furnaces that are at least 90-percent efficient, with “brand-new” Whirlpool stainless steel EnergyStar appliances. Included are side-by-side refrigerator-freezers with ice and water in the door; and granite or quartz countertops in kitchens and bathrooms.
Developers paid close attention to the common wall construction in each townhome.
“Any time you have a shared wall, the first concern is ‘Can I hear the person on the other side?’ ” Lee said. “There is a right way to build that wall. There are nine layers. We put up two firewalls, double the code requirements, and we also leave a sound barrier in between the framing. We also put in extra insulation and use thicker sheetrock.”
While showing the homes, prospective buyers are encouraged to do a “scream test” on the common wall.
“They can shout as loud as they want,” he said. “They’re not going to hear that on the other side.”
All homes have “Hardy Board or LP Smart Siding that is energy efficient and requires less maintenance. Roofs have 30-year shingles,” Lee said. “Utility bills should be significantly less. Everybody wants to spend as little as possible to be comfortable.”
Strength and quality are vital to Cochran.
“My stepdad was a builder. He would give me the what-for if I didn’t build a decent house,” he said.
In the first phase, 50 homes have been completed and are on the market, and another 50 are under construction.
“Eleven have been pre-sold,” Lee said. “We expect the other 39 to sell by fall.”
AeroPlains is in a Rural Housing Incentive District, which allows municipalities to reimburse developers for the cost of new infrastructure. That cuts costs for all involved.
Investors are not involved to get rich, Lee said, guessing it may take 25 years to break even.
“We would like to recover costs and receive some profit, but that is not the primary focus. That’s to provide efficient, quality, affordable housing to Salina, Kansas.”
That mission is being accomplished, said Loder, who has been answering questions and fielding clients for over a year.
“I’ve been very fortunate that they have included me in almost all of their decision-making processes. Anything Derek puts out is going to be quality. He’s a very positive, problem-solving business person, very generous, and a great communicator,” she said. “They all are, the whole team. They’re a group of people who want to make something great happen out there.”
Some expenses are much higher than expected.
“When we started in 2022, the prime interest rate, which is the basis for the interest we pay on tens of millions of dollars for infrastructure and homes, was 3.5 percent,” Lee said. “In the time since, the prime rate has more than doubled.”
Building Kansas LLC’s original goal was a return on investment in the single digits, with a “reasonable contingency,” he said. “With the increased costs for materials, labor and interest rates, all profit and our contingency evaporated.”
AeroPlains investors are sticking to their townhome prices from 2022 for the first 50 homes.
“That is where the $199,000 to $229,000 comes from. Adjusted for inflation, our prices would be $230,000 to $265,000,” Lee said. “We will have to cover costs in order to build any future homes.”
AeroPlains will someday contain “at least” 150 homes, he said, but there is room for a total of 350.
“Housing remains a key puzzle piece for our community. To address the shortage, the city has been waiving some permitting fees and utilizing programs such as the Rural Housing Incentive Districts (RHID) and Moderate Income Housing (MIH) grants to encourage specific developments,” said Greg Lenkiewicz, Salina Mayor. “We’re committed to supporting workforce housing projects that we feel will benefit Salina in the long term. I believe the commission shares a growth-oriented mindset, and it’s reflected in how we’ve approached these opportunities in recent years.”
He lauded Salina’s teamwork in attacking the housing shortage.
“There’s strong collaboration across the community, with multiple projects leveraging multiple incentives to help solve our housing issue. Salina is also fortunate to have many philanthropic community leaders who are eager to give back to a place that has treated them well,” Lenkiewicz said. “That factors into numerous projects around town. And it’s tremendously encouraging to see this cooperative mindset in action.”
AeroPlains investors are one proud lot.
“We drive out in the development and say ‘Hey, look what we did.’ I take my parents (Michael and Sherry Dillon, of Salina) out there, and my kids when they come home,” Cochran said. “This is fun stuff.”
FACTOID: Building Kansas LLC members named the housing addition AeroPlains in part for its proximity to Salina Regional Airport, the former Schilling Air Force Base, and to honor the community’s commitment to aviation, said Lance Cochran, a Building Kansas member.
Streets are named after Steve Hawley, Salina native and former NASA astronaut; legendary aviators Amelia Earhart, from Kansas, and Charles Lindbergh, of Detroit; and Tim Rogers, of Salina, recently retired executive director of the Salina Airport Authority.
“What better way to memorialize what (Rogers) has done than to put his name on a street?” said Lance Cochran, a member of AeroPlains development, with Derek Lee, of Lindsborg, general manager at Long McArthur Ford, of Salina; Marty Simpson, business manager at Long McArthur; Dan Penner, of Lindsborg, a lead salesman at Long McArthur; and North and West McArthur, who are among the Ford dealership owners.
“To them (the McArthur brothers), this nothing more than a way to give back to the community that has supported them for so many years,” Lee said.
FACTOID:
Residents at AeroPlains will be part of a homeowners association.The $100 monthly dues will cover lawn care, and landscaping, said Lance Cochran, one of the investors.
“When you move out there, you don’t have to mow,” he said, “and landscape water is paid by the HOA.”
FACTOID
Features of AeroPlains townhomes, Every home includes-
- Stainless steel appliances (Energy Star rated)
- Solid surface countertops throughout (granite, marble, quartz)
- Super Efficiency Double Pane windows
- Super Efficiency Heating and Air Conditioning
- Super Efficiency insulation walls and ceiling
- 9-layer sound and safety barrier between homes
- In-ground storm shelter
- Zero Entry for all 1st-floor entrances
- Extra-wide hallways and doorways
- Full Sod yards with sprinkler system
- Full landscaping
- Privacy blinds in every window
- $0.00 special assessment property taxes