LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Established earlier this year, the Kentucky Housing Task Force looks at several factors affecting the housing market across the commonwealth.
"It was really eye opening for me to see that we had shortages everywhere," Representative Susan Witten said.
Witten, who co-chaired the Kentucky Housing Task Force, tells LEX 18 that the task force heard testimony from industry experts, local leaders, and community organizations to address challenges, starting with the state's unprecedented housing shortage.
"We realized that it didn't start in the last couple of years. Really a lot of this, it dates back to the recession of 2008," Witten noted.
Findings show a housing shortage of an estimated 206,000 units, the state's construction workforce still trying to recover from 2008, a rise in cost to build a home the past several years, and nearly 5,000 units damaged or destroyed by a combination of the 2021 Western Kentucky tornadoes and 2022 Eastern Kentucky floods.
"We're looking at what we could do on the state level, to really show and give some meaningful relief to Kentuckians that are struggling," Witten noted.
One recommendation is to examine many regulations for reform including permitting, zoning, land-use, minimum lot sizes, and restrictions on manufactured homes. Also, tax credits were frequently discussed as possible incentives the state could offer to companies willing to boost Kentucky's Housing supply.
Referencing outside examples, the Kentucky Housing Task Force considered solutions approved by other states. One housing proposal being considered is to try to add density where there's infrastructure, utilizing formerly commercial buildings that are no longer in use.
"Seeing if we can take those where the infrastructure is already there and then convert those to residential," Witten said.
It's not a "short term fix," Witten noted. She's crafting legislation, hoping to file bills by Jan. 7 to make changes.
