Plans to provide more affordable housing options in Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Many people state Louisville needs affordable stable housing. There are plans in the works to make that happen. It’s called the LOU 2.2 Housing Program.

The group behind LOU 2.2 is LDG Development, a property management company in Louisville that’s been building affordable housing for years.

They are coming together with Louisville Metro Government and other organizations to build ten multi-family communities located across Louisville.

LOU 2.2 is a mix of both affordable and marketplace housing options. One of the new sites will be along East Gray Street, where the Prestonian apartment complex will be built.

The city needs 30,000 affordable housing units; 1,300 of the units in LOU 2.2 will be specifically for those who only make between 30 to 80 percent of the city’s area median income.

LDG’s co-founder said these apartments are not just about giving people a home, it’s also about economic development.

“I’ve had small companies to Fortune 500 companies call us and and say what can you do to help our workforce have a place to live,” Chris Dischinger, co-founder and principal of LDG Development said. “If you think it’s just about the poorest of poor, it’s not. It’s about economic development.”

LOU 2.2 will also include access to health services that will be provided through a partnership with Norton Healthcare and after school academic enrichment opportunities.

“The things we are doing today are a great start, but it’s really the beginning,” Dischinger said. “Louisville has to make this a part of our DNA. Housing going forward all the time. For those of you who believe affordable housing should be kept or limited to certain neighborhoods, know that you are wrong. You are absolutely wrong. Housing is needed in all areas. Whether it’s West Louisville, Prospect, south Louisville, the east end, and all neighborhoods in between.”

The plan is to break ground on five sites by the end of the year and four more sites by the end of 2023. The first LOU 2.2 community site could be up and running by 2024.

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