“The reality is we are not going to be able to build the housing we need…”; LFUCC on affordable housing

Lexington, Ky. (WTVQ) — During a policy luncheon held by Kentucky American water on Thursday, the Lexington Urban County Council spoke about some pressing issues they have been facing.

One of the main issues the council is facing is affordable housing.

“Our current policies of infill and redevelopment over the past 30 years were not doing enough to keep up with our housing and job needs,” said Councilmember Preston Worley. “The council recognized a need, that housing prices were skyrocketing in the city. They’d gone up 80 percent in 10 years and rent prices were the seventh highest increase in the country.”

One way to help with affordable housing is to expand the urban service boundary. An expansion that has been fought from the very beginning.

“I will say that whatever your opinion about the expansion of the urban services boundary or how we did it this year, now that we’ve made a decision and we’re moving forward with it, to me it gives us the breathing room to now think about other things we need to tackle,” said Vice Mayor Dan Wu.

However, many do not want the expansion, because they do not want a housing unit built by their backyard.

“The reality is we are not going to be able to build the housing we need and we’re not going to be able to keep our city concise if we don’t have development,” said Councilmember Jennifer Reynolds.

According to councilmembers, all housing will make housing more affordable.

But the question is how can they keep rent low.

“Those are the types of things that we have to be creative about in order to make it work,” said Worley. “Because it is just expensive and it’s getting more expensive to build.”