COVINGTON, Ky. — A housing shortage combined with rising property taxes and rent means finding a place to live is a challenge that Covington is working to tackle.
Covington's mayor, Ron Washington, has announced the creation of a housing development task force comprised of nonprofits, educators and developers.
I spoke with David Hastings, executive director of Housing Opportunities of Northern Kentucky, which helps people find housing with a lease-to-own model.
"It's a challenge for people of a lot of different income levels right now to find something affordable. There's very few apartments, there's very few homes to rent and to purchase," Hastings said.
That's what the task force is working to change.
To help with this, Washington formally asked Covington's Board of Commissioners to adopt a municipal order to identify the 10 most valuable city-owned, vacant properties and sell them for as much as they can.
"The purpose of the selling those 10 lots is to make as much profit as possible, so we can take that money and then put it into the housing program, so we can develop out the 200 lots," Washington said.
The goal is to have private or non-profit developers transform unused land or structures into revitalized homes or units for residents to live in.
In a news release, Washington stated that Covington is "especially focused" on homes for median-income households. Washington told me that developments would also include multi-family homes.
The City of Covington sent me a list of nearly 200 "abandoned urban properties" or AUPs. Washington said the city owns about 50 properties, but it also manages the ones it does not own.
Washington said the plan is to sell these properties to private or nonprofit developers intending to add new houses to Covington and assist the residents who already live in these neighborhoods.
Mayor Washington broke down this initiative below:
"That costs taxpayers money, it costs taxpayers money because we're taking care of the lots, we're taking care of the buildings, but also it's, it's no longer a revenue-generating property. And it also can draw from the neighborhood, it can take away from the neighborhood," Washington said.
Residents like Cameron Turner, who lives next to one of the abandoned urban properties listed in the city's database, are hopeful for what this initiative could do for their neighborhood if the home next door could be rebuilt.
"It's just been sitting empty, it's been used by vandalized children, homeless people, animals," Turner said.
Mayor Washington said city staff have 30 days to create the list of the 10 most valuable properties. Then, within 45 days, they will send out requests for proposals (RFPs) to potential buyers.
“I want to break ground this year; I mean it’s pure and simple. This, this is urgent, this is a priority of the board of commissioners," Washington said.
