The effort to address Bowling Green’s growing need for affordable housing has taken another step forward.

Garrison Gardens, a proposed 120-unit residential development at 1221 Crewdson Drive, was ruled last week by the Kentucky Housing Corporation to have no significant impact on the environment, meaning the KHC can now request the federal funds needed to get the project started.

After a public comment period ends on Jan. 6, KHC will submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for the release of $5.5 million in National Affordable Housing Act funds and another $5 million in Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds.

Those funds will go a long way toward developing a project expected to cost approximately $36 million that is part of a larger effort to leverage HUD and American Rescue Plan Act money to address the city’s dearth of affordable housing.

“We have to do this on all federally funded projects,” said Brent Childers, director of neighborhood and community services for the city of Bowling Green. “This is another big step. Next will be permitting, then we can start construction.”

Although an ambitious project with 120 multi-family units, the Garrison Gardens development is part of a much larger effort to address affordable housing in the wake of the December 2021 tornadoes that exacerbated an existing need for moderately priced single-family and multi-family housing in the city.

Gov. Andy Beshear in June announced more than $130 million in funding to build 635 affordable housing units in Bowling Green and Warren County.

The largest development in Warren County will be the 256-unit Echo Trail Apartments at a location to be determined.

In addition to Garrison Gardens, the other projects are:

• Emery Flats, 1200 Morgantown Road – 180 units
• Campbell View Apartments; 110 Campbell Lane – 71 units.
• Lifeworks Annex; 1176 Adams St. – 8 units

The city will leverage $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to help cover local project costs. Additional funding will come through tax credits and bonds.

“These are all trying to address that affordable housing shortage,” Childers said. “One way to do that is to draw down the (federal) funds.”

A separate effort to address the need for affordable single-family residences is in the works but on hold.

Habitat for Humanity of Bowling Green/Warren County and property owner Platinum Development LLC had applied to rezone from agriculture and general business to single-family residential 24.46 acres along Russellville Road across from Whitney Drive in order to build 115 houses.

Funded in part by a Community Development Block Grant through HUD, the Habitat for Humanity plan to build affordable houses may still go forward, just not at the Russellville Road site.

“We are moving forward with the project but will be looking for another piece of property,” said Rodney Goodman, Habitat’s local executive director. “There was some opposition to the project at that location.”