City of Manhattan
The Kansas Planning Conference takes place every three years and this year, Manhattan is hosting the event. Almost 200 planners, administrators, and decision-makers gathered on campus Friday morning at the Kansas State University Student Union to share information, provide updates, plan for the next year, and enjoy each other’s company for the next two days.
Three staff members from the Manhattan Community Development Department will present at this conference.John Verssue, Planner III, will join with his colleague Gabby Coleman, an architecture professor at K-State, to share how their collaboration has taken real-world projects into the classroom and the students’ work has informed City projects, creating a mutually beneficial “town-gown” relationship.
Senior Planner Ben Chmiel will lead two presentations during the conference. First, Ben will take attendees on a walking tour of Aggieville to showcase the public and private developments that are enhancing this neighborhood. Next, he will share how the Long-Range Division continues to engage with the community, analyze and use data, and help to deliver big-picture visions for Manhattan on a tight budget.
Finally, Assistant Director John Adam will lead a group presentation, with a local architect and developer, which will share recent changes to the Manhattan Development Code, improvements to the permitting process, and incentive programs to help tackle local market housing challenges.