FLORENCE, Ky. — Communities across the Commonwealth are struggling with affordable housing. In northern Kentucky, leaders say it’s a big problem.

During a Kentucky Housing Task Force meeting, Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore talked about a study done by the Northern Kentucky Area Development District, which examined the housing inventory of the eight-county region.

“We’re doing a great job of building three- and four-bedroom mansions, but we’re not building one-bedroom, two-bedroom units that are either owner occupied or rentals. So there is a need for income aligned housing,” Moore said.

He said there’s also a trickle down effect happening. Because of current interest rates and housing prices, people who want to downsize can’t afford to, so they’re essentially stuck where they are. So is the young couple who’d like to buy that home, and the person who’d like to rent the couple’s apartment.

Moore said the region is seeing a lot of applications for more apartments to be built.

Many people ask what the government can do. Moore said: only so much.

“What we can do is to try to create an environment where we keep government regulations, zoning and other things out of the way as much as possible, so the private sector can figure this out,” he said.

Boone County Commissioner Jesse Brewer, who is also the owner of C.A.P. Real Estate, agreed with Moore that there are some things the government can do, but he said it should be minimal.

“There can be some density allowances to get more yield on a piece of property,” Brewer said.

He also said more housing projects could offer tax abatements. Creative financing with bonds and subtle zoning changes could also help, he said.

But Brewer said developers aren’t incentivized to build one- and two-bedroom units.

“The cost to build is so expensive. It’s not that much more money to go from a two bedroom to a three or four bedroom. They’re gonna go with the large unit because that’s what’s going to produce them the highest success on return,” he said. “It’s a tough problem. And unless you can fix the federal interest rates and inflationary issues, not much you can do.”

For people looking for affordable housing, Brewer said to seek out older properties and expand the search, even if it means having to drive a little further to get downtown.

At the same Housing Task Force meeting, Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville, said fixing the shortage could mean renovating large homes in suburban areas to best fit current needs.