Johnson County votes progressive. But do our politics stop at our property lines? | Opinion

Today, cities around the country are revisiting a question previously seen as unchangeable here in the Kansas City metropolitan area: Who gets to live in Johnson County? Who gets to live in the most progressive county in Kansas? — the same county that Rep. Sharice Davids has held onto for three cycles and the backbone of last year’s monumental “no” vote upholding abortion rights.

It’s an uncomfortable question. The mere exploration has already triggered fearmongering about increased crime and decreased property values (proven to be artificial concerns) in neighborhood associations and city council meetings, all while failing to address the fundamental question: Who gets to live in Johnson County? And even more, do our progressive politics stop at our property lines?

It’s tempting to dismiss the necessity of the conversation. After all, Johnson County is the wealthiest county in the state, boasting the highest property values that in turn fund paved streets, manicured green spaces and top-ranked public schools.

In other words, why fix what’s not broken? That begs perhaps the more urgent question: Who is it working for?

We don’t have to look much further than the numbers. About 79% of Johnson County is white, with Black and Hispanic residents representing just 5% and 8%, respectively. In the county’s most affluent areas — Mission Hills, Prairie Village, Fairway — white residents account for more than 90% of the population, with Black residents less than 1%, and Hispanic residents no more than 6%.

Fifty-five years since the Fair Housing Act made residential segregation illegal, shouldn’t our population reflect this?

Some argue it’s personal preference, that communities of color choose to live among themselves. Others point to the high cost of entry into Johnson County neighborhoods, as if these financial barriers are naturally occurring phenomena. In either case, the acceptance of this status quo betrays an unfortunate lack of imagination.

However, there is an intervention that can redefine who gets to live in Johnson County: Eliminating single-family-only zoning.

Ostensibly a “race-neutral” zoning tool to regulate the aesthetic consistency of neighborhoods, for a century, this policy has excluded many while hoarding opportunity for others.

Born from government and developer motives to exclude Black and Jewish families from suburbs, single-family-only zoning, paired with redlining and deed restrictions, codified residential segregation in Johnson County. It continues to govern land use today. Some 89% of Prairie Village for instance, is zoned for single-family use only.

Because of single-family-only zoning, the primary entrance into our communities is home ownership (even as Black families are disproportionately likely to be renters and have one-eighth the net worth of white families). But like much of the nation, we face a historic shortage of affordable homes, that are increasingly being replaced by “McMansion” rebuilds.

What if we began building low-rise duplexes for families — headed by teachers or police officers to raise their children in the communities they work in? Or instead, it’s you, looking to keep your aging parents close by building a backyard accessory dwelling unit.

Additional housing can unlock new paths into our communities, at the expense of none, and benefit to all. That’s right — we all stand to benefit from a socioeconomically diverse community. More housing types get us there.

I am proud to be a beneficiary of Kansas’ forming promise of access and opportunity for all. The same promise inspired my great-grandmother Annie Alcorn to leave Jim Crow Arkansas for Kansas City, and I believe we can once again live up to that same promise today.

So, who gets to live in Johnson County? We should answer this question with fortitude and vision of a county that is a reality for all who wish to call it home.

Stephonn Alcorn of Gardner is a 2017 graduate of the University of Kansas, where he was student body president. He served as the Associate Director for Racial Justice and Equity in the Biden-Harris White House Domestic Policy Council until July 2022. He works in New York City as an affordable housing asset manager .