New report details needs as Hardin County prepares for population boom

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WAVE) - A new report outlined concerns ahead of an expected influx of new residents to Elizabethtown and Hardin County.

The Elizabethtown-Fort Knox MSA Transformation Project was a study commissioned by the Hardin County Chamber of Commerce. It was released in its entirety on Tuesday.

The Blue Oval SK Battery Plant in Glendale is expected to create 5,000 new jobs. In return, the reports stated Hardin County’s population will likely grow by more than 22,000.

That means there’s a need for more housing, more schools, and more hospital beds. According to the report, Hardin County lacks nearly 9,000 housing units.

“In Elizabethtown and Hardin County, we were short on housing before BlueOval SK announced,” Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said. “We are looking at ways that we can tackle those issues. We have developers that have been contacting us and coming in, and just in the past year and a half, we’re in the process somewhere from beginning to end with 4,000 different units already.”

Gregory said he’d like to see that 4,000 number triple. The report also indicated Hardin County would need 75 more hospital beds and more than 700 new healthcare jobs.

The report also addressed concerns about Hardin County Government’s leadership and preparedness.

”I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to handle it,” newly-elected judge executive Keith Taul said.

This report also made suggestions about Etown annexing additional land and changing planning and zoning guidelines to allow for denser housing opportunities.

Click or tap here to read the full report.

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