Sep. 14—Two voluntary annexations and an update on a solution to the housing shortage were on the agenda for last week's meeting of the London City Council.
The two annexations involve the Saddlebrook area at Boggs Road and KY 192, which was begun in March and April, and a section in the right-of-way of U.S. 25 and KY 1006. Both have undergone the required public hearings without any petitions objecting to the area being filed. That gave the council the opportunity to annex those areas.
The section of U.S. 25 and KY 1006 stated that the property would be zoned as "commercial" and the roadway would be considered "G" or "government."
Council members approved those actions unanimously. London Mayor Randall Weddle stressed that both annexations were voluntary, meaning that the businesses and/or individuals have requested to be a part of the city.
With the housing shortage across the nation also affecting businesses in the London area, council members also heard from officials with Freedom Homes. Amie Hacker with Freedom Homes in London and Logan Hanes, executive director of Kentucky Manufactured Housing Institute (KMHI) outlined how the new modular homes are not the "trailers" of the past. Hacker said Freedom Homes has recently purchased property off Johnson Road — just outside city limits — for a 70-unit housing development that offers the manufactured homes with paved driveways, garage and other features that eliminate the previous concept of "trailer parks."
Hanes presented slides of the manufactured homes, stressing that they are constructed with insulation to meet the temperatures of northern states known for their intense winter weather. He also pointed out the strength of the homes themselves.
"These homes have undergone tests and they can withstand winds up to 70 mph," he said. "They were tested in Florida, which is known to have hurricanes and high winds."
But under the current city ordinances, these homes are not permitted in city limits — a topic which Hanes said he wished to discuss in more detail with council members.
It is no secret that the housing shortage across the country is affecting communities, and Hanes told council members that realigning city ordinances regarding manufactured homes was imperative to providing needed housing for residents in the area.
Hanes said surveys have indicated that two-thirds of employers stated they would expand their businesses if they had housing for potential employees, and that 55.1% said that the lack of housing impacts their businesses.