EHI Consultants gave local council members their estimate of the gap between Lexington's available housing and what's needed to meet demand. Adrian Bryant with CivicLex says their study put the number in the tens of thousands.
"Lexington, according to them in their study, needs 22,000 housing units, period, across the board. That's how far we are behind relative to the demand, the amount of people wanting to move in," Bryant says. "And 17 thousand of those are needed at what they are considering an affordable level. So 80% or below of the area median income."
It's a need the city is hoping to ease over time with its expansion of the urban service boundary.
Widening out the picture and looking at housing needs across the state, Wendy Smith with the Kentucky Housing Corporation said her group took a snapshot of the current shortage and it what might look like in five years.
"The current housing supply gap is estimated at just over 206,000 units across the whole of Kentucky. The gap by 2029 is projected at over 287,000 units," Smith explained.
A variety of changes could be on the menu at the state level to deal with the crisis. They include land use and zoning reforms, state housing tax credits, and funding housing developments or infrastructure.
