Board will provide input for strategies and priorities to grow housing stock
COVINGTON, Ky. – In a sweeping new initiative to combat Covington’s growing housing shortage, Mayor Ron Washington has announced the formation of a Housing Development Taskforce aimed at unlocking the city’s potential for equitable residential growth. The plan, still in early stages of development, signals a major push to address what Washington has repeatedly described as one of the defining challenges of his administration.
“We have too many productive people sleeping on couches or in their parents’ basements,” Mayor Washington said. “If we want Covington to grow in the right direction, we need to grow our housing stock in a way that reflects the needs of our workforce.”
The taskforce, comprised of respected developers, nonprofit leaders, educators, and planners, will serve as the city’s strategic engine for housing policy — identifying opportunities, clearing regulatory roadblocks, and guiding investment into accessible, income-aligned housing.
The effort comes in the wake of a 2023 Northern Kentucky Area Development District study that found the region will need 6,650 new housing units by 2028. Covington alone needs 891.
While Covington has a higher percentage of rental housing than many of its Northern Kentucky neighbors, Washington says that’s not enough. “We’re especially focused on income earners in the $50,000 to $60,000 range — the teachers, tradespeople, and service workers who are the backbone of our city,” he said. “We also need more 1- and 2-bedroom options.”
A centerpiece of the initiative involves revitalizing the city’s inventory of vacant and abandoned properties — parcels that once fell into city hands through anti-blight enforcement but now represent opportunity. Many of these lots are currently tax delinquent and cost the city money in maintenance and public works response.
“We’re sitting on land that’s not just underutilized — it’s draining resources,” Washington said. “We need to get these properties into the hands of people who will bring them back to life.”
To that end, Mayor Washington has formally asked the Board of Commissioners to adopt a municipal order directing city staff to identify the top 10 city-owned vacant properties with the highest market potential. The goal: sell those lots for maximum value and reinvest the proceeds directly into the city’s housing development program — giving private and nonprofit developers the ability to acquire and rehabilitate homes and lots for families and individuals earning median income.
“This is about creating a virtuous cycle,” the Mayor said. “We’ll use the value of our most desirable assets to unlock opportunity in our most neglected spaces — and we’ll do it in a way that delivers real benefit to Covington’s working families.”
The taskforce’s mandate includes:
• Expanding Covington’s inventory of workforce housing;
• Protecting the historic fabric of neighborhoods;
• Breathing life into empty streetscapes with new homes;
• Reducing the fiscal burden of blighted and abandoned properties.
In parallel, the City continues to invest in complementary housing programs, such as homebuyer assistance, emergency repairs, nonprofit rehab support, zoning reforms, and demolitions of dangerous structures.
Still, Washington acknowledges more must be done. “What we’ve started is good — but not enough. This taskforce is how we take the next big step.”
City staff announce the taskforce membership in the coming days and will begin to map out a development blueprint — one that could help ensure Covington’s housing future is as inclusive and vibrant as its people.
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