On East 30th Street, between Paseo and Florida, a once fire-damaged six-plex now stands fully renovated and fully leased. With new front porch decks, updated interiors, and a restored presence on the block, Neyan’s Place reflects a quiet but important shift in Midtown Kansas City: what it looks like when investment comes from within the community.
For Harold Johnson and his wife Diane, this was never just a rehabilitation project. It was a long-term commitment to place, family, and neighborhood responsibility.
“This is Neyan’s Place,” Johnson said. “It’s a legacy property for us. We have seven grandchildren. The name of our business is Seven J’s LLC, and Neyan is the oldest granddaughter. So I have six more to do.”
What may sound like a lighthearted comment carries a deeper intention. The project is designed to be something their family can see, touch, and eventually build upon. For the Johnsons, development is not abstract. It is something meant to be rooted in Kansas City and passed forward.
Rooted in Community
Johnson is a Kansas City native, and his perspective is shaped by growing up in neighborhoods where ownership and pride were visible block by block.
“I came up in a time where there was a true community right there on each block,” he said. “There was a lot of pride in the neighborhood. People kept their homes well maintained.
Kids would play on the streets.”
Over time, that sense of consistency changed. As more residents gained access to opportunities elsewhere, many older neighborhoods lost the steady reinvestment that once sustained them.
“When people have more choices, the older neighborhoods kind of suffered,” he said.
That history is part of what drives his work today. Projects like Neyan’s Place are not just about adding units. They are about restoring presence, stability, and confidence in neighborhoods that have seen disinvestment over time.
A Project at Risk
The Johnsons acquired the six-unit building around 2020 in severely damaged condition. Much of the structure had to be rebuilt, with significant demolition required before reconstruction could begin.
“It was horrible,” Johnson said. “We had to redo everything else.”
Like many small developers, he initially worked to finance the project himself. By the time construction was underway, he had already invested more than $300,000. Then COVID-19 disrupted the process.
“I almost lost this project because I did it during 2021, and material costs were like three times what they are now,” he said.
Rising costs, supply chain disruptions, and increasing labor expenses forced the project to a halt. At that point, completion was uncertain.
Still, stepping away was never fully on the table.
“We’re not quitters,” he said. “You might beat me today, but we’re coming back.”
The Turning Point: CCED Support
Johnson was introduced to the Central City Economic Development (CCED) Sales Tax Program through local connections and presentations. After initially seeking help with the application, he ultimately completed the process himself.
“I looked at the application and said, ‘Hey, I can do this,’” he said.
The project was awarded approximately $385,000 in CCED funding, a critical investment that helped bring the project across the finish line.
“It was such a blessing,” Johnson said. “I was strained for the finances to complete it. I still had a whole major rehab to do.”
With that support, the project moved from stalled to complete. More importantly, it allowed the Johnsons to follow through on their original vision.
“We could actually fulfill most of the obligations of what we intended,” he said.
The funding did not just complete the project. It preserved its quality.
Raising the Standard
At Neyan’s Place, the goal was never to deliver the minimum. Johnson approached the project with a simple philosophy: provide the same level of quality he would expect for himself.
“What do you want for yourself?” he said. “I like to have nice stuff. So I want my individuals that are going to live in my places to have nice things.”
The result is a fully upgraded property with modern finishes and thoughtful design. Units include new LVP flooring, granite countertops, updated bathrooms, high-efficiency HVAC systems, and new windows and sliding doors. Exterior improvements include front porch decks for each unit, shared rear access, and a leveled parking lot with planned gate improvements.
The building is now fully electric, with a structure that balances efficiency and long-term maintenance.
“I want people to have a sense of quality living,” Johnson said. “I don’t think that we should have an excuse for that no matter where we live.”
Serving the Neighborhood
Today, Neyan’s Place is fully leased. Tenants include working individuals and retirees, many earning between roughly $30,000 and $60,000 annually. Rents remain competitive with older units in the area, but the quality of the space is significantly higher.
“They want something nice,” Johnson said. “And they don’t want to necessarily have to live outside of the area in which they grew up.”
That balance is critical. The project demonstrates that it is possible to raise housing standards without pushing residents out of the neighborhoods they call home.
Johnson emphasizes the importance of engagement, maintaining communication with tenants and investing in features that contribute to comfort and security.
“People have a sense of respect,” he said. “They have a sense of pride because they know that the owner cares.”
That pride contributes to broader neighborhood stability.
“People want to see more of it,” he said. “We need to bring folk back.”
A Long-Term Commitment
For the Johnsons, Neyan’s Place is not a one-time project. It is part of a larger vision to continue investing in Kansas City’s urban core and to keep development rooted in the community.
“I’m going to keep on being a developer,” Johnson said. “I think people are going to like the product that we put out.”
That vision also extends to the next generation. His grandchildren have already been involved in aspects of the work, from cleanup to maintenance, giving them early exposure to ownership and responsibility.
“We want to pass on what we have done,” he said. “We intend to pass on something that is very good in quality.”
Why It Matters
Projects like Neyan’s Place highlight the role public and private partnership can play in neighborhood revitalization. For small, community-based developers, access to capital can determine whether a project stalls or succeeds.
“Projects like this won’t be able to happen if we don’t have the funding that the city’s able to provide,” Johnson said.
In this case, the combination of personal investment and CCED support made it possible to complete a project that now contributes to housing quality, neighborhood stability, and long-term community ownership.
Neyan’s Place is one building. But it represents something larger: a model where local developers reinvest in their own neighborhoods, where public funding supports attainable housing, and where quality becomes part of the baseline rather than the exception.
It is, at its core, a reinvestment not just in property, but in place.