Proposal would clear path for religious institutions to build housing
The Kentucky Housing Task Force 2025 heard testimony Tuesday regarding religious institution land use. A high-resolution photo can be found here.
FRANKFORT — The Kentucky Housing Task Force 2025 heard testimony Tuesday on using land owned by religious institutions to build affordable housing.
This isn’t the first time lawmakers have proposed the idea. But Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, and Rep. Michael Sarge Pollock, R-Campbellsville, hope their legislation will become law during the upcoming legislation session, which kicks off Jan. 6.
“We started it in the Senate last year and passed it out of the Senate with ease. It was well accepted and got to the House, and I won’t say it had a lot of opposition, but a lot of questions,” Higdon said, noting that Pollock will reintroduce the bill in the House next year.
Higdon said the proposal is still a work in progress after he and Pollock were invited to meet with the Sisters of Loretto, a religious community based in Marion County.
Two nuns from the community knew about legislation filed in the U.S. Senate and broached the idea with the Kentucky legislators. Similar legislation also has been proposed in other states, Higdon said.
Higdon said the concept allows religious institutions to bypass some local zoning rules and build affordable housing on church property.
Zoning laws are restrictive and deal with things such as square footage, parking, lot size, single family housing and multi-family housing, he said.
“This bill simply lets them bypass most of those too. They have to follow building codes, and the final phase of it before it can be built, it has to be approved by the local governing body,” Higdon said.
Pollock said when the bill came to the House last year, it was more broad than desired, and the short legislative session didn’t allow time for the bill to be passed.
The proposal is expected to be “tweaked” a bit, and commercial zones would be the main target for religious institution land use, Pollock said.
“We’re here today to ask for this task force to endorse our bill this upcoming session,” he said.
Rep. Joshua Watkins, D-Louisville, thanked Higdon and Pollock for their legislation. He said he has heard from those involved with religious institutions in his district and others parts of Jefferson County who strongly support the developments.
“I’m a big supporter of it. Can’t wait to see it in the House again,” Watkins said.
Task Force Co-Chair Rep. Susan Witten, R-Louisville, also thanked Higdon and Pollock for their bill. She asked what would happen if religious institutions want to transfer their property to a non-religious institution.
Higdon said the issue is still being considered as lawmakers look to return with the bill next year.
The next meeting of the task force is scheduled for Nov. 24 at 1 p.m.
