By Brooke McCloud

Amidst strong responses to the current student housing proposal, new options are being explored this week.

The Urban County Council Planning Committee will hold a third public meeting Tuesday at 1 p.m. to discuss new off-campus housing  density options.

The city council meeting will be lead by Lexington Police Officer Keith Gaines who will be offering an alternative solution to the proposed plan, said Student Government president Ryan Smith.

“We made significant improvements on the last proposal, this proposal has gotten rid of the density and spacing regulations that the last one passed with,” Smith said.

Gaines met with SG and city landlords in an attempt to work toward a new proposal that would benefit the students. If the proposal is passed, there will be no density or spacing regulations along with many other changes.

“Officer Gaines has been extremely helpful and extremely forward in helping find ways for this program to benefits the students,” Smith said.

The new proposal was brought up at the very end of the Student Housing Task Force meetings, said 3rd District councilwoman Diane Lawless.  Lawless introduced a six-month moratorium on large home additions upon the 3rd District of Lexington, which includes UK, on Oct. 13.  The moratorium will freeze building permits on certain home additions.

Lawless said nothing will be decided overnight. Although the proposal has been presented, it still awaits voting from the Lexington-Fayette Urban County

Council.

The Lexington Division of Planning released an updated  Housing Market Study Monday for the city.  The study found a shortage of 2,500 affordable rental units, and a growing demand of those units and a higher concentration of younger households as a result of UK’s increased enrollment.

The program suggests a new program called the Student Housing in Partnership Program, or SHIPP. The pilot program will apply to no more than 50 individual addresses, with more properties to be added within three to six months, according to the proposal.

“It doesn’t matter if a student wants to live on or off campus, the common thread is that everyone wants to be safe, and hopefully this program can do that,” Lawless said.

The properties’ landlords have the choice of either ‘basic’ or ‘preferred’ participation, which requires tenants to keep the homes to the city’s standards and to agree to voluntary inspections. For instance, yards are to be free of cigarette butts and beer kegs will not be allowed on the premises.

One way the program wants to benefit students is through an online housing database.  Through the program, there will be an up-to-date contact list of the SHIPP landlords that students can access by going online.

“Hopefully this proposal can be passed soon so that students and parents can be more informed shoppers when finding housing,” Lawless said.

Student Housing in Partnership Program, or “SHIPP”

— Two levels of participation, “basic” and “preferred”

— Involved in the program would be UK, residents, Lexington, neighborhoods and SHIPP program coordinator.

— Pilot program with no more than 50 individual addresses, with more properties to be added within 3-6 months.