It appears the economy may be slowing down in the Kansas City area. New home construction overall was down by 1/3 in September, it’s been down 15% or so all year. Last month in Overland Park, new home starts dropped almost 40% from a year ago. Underwood says there are several reasons for the slump besides the economy. In Overland Park, for example, he says there isn’t much available land left to build on. Underwood also blames increased costs for material and labor and some higher taxes.