A measure that would allow land owned by religious institutions to build affordable housing is expected to be introduced again, when the 2026 General Assembly convenes.  

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 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 noted.

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, according to Higdon. 

“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, must 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. 

The proposal is expected to be “tweaked” a bit, and commercial zones would be the main target for religious institution land use, Pollock added. 


 

Sen. Jimmy Higdon is co-sponsoring a measure that would allow landed owned by religious institutions to build affordable housing. (LRC photo)

ANDREW WEST