City staff proposes $27,011 reprogramming and a pilot ‘24/7 Downtown’ upper‑story housing incentive

Holly Boggan, a city staff member, told the Committee of the Whole on Jan. 23 that staff was asking the committee to forward a municipal order to transfer $27,011 from two Legacy Hopkinsville line items into the account used for new‑construction incentives. "We're requesting a transfer of $27,011 to fund any new incentive applications for new construction that come through," Boggan said.

The proposed transfer would move money from an interagency governmental task‑force line item and from the homeownership assistance line so staff could cover incentive requests tied to new single‑ and multifamily construction in legacy Hopkinsville neighborhoods. Boggan presented a full line‑by‑line fund balance as of January 2025, noting remaining balances in demolition, downtown incentives and other Legacy Hopkinsville programs.

Boggan also presented a separate proposal — the mayor's “24/7 Downtown” pilot — intended to encourage residential occupancy of upper floors in the Downtown Renaissance District. The program as described would reimburse 50% of noise‑abatement and residential conversion costs up to $15,000 per residential unit, require preapproval and a certificate of occupancy before reimbursement, and place a five‑year deed restriction requiring continued residential use. Boggan said the program would apply only to upper‑floor units (second floor and above) and would not fund construction of new standalone buildings.

Why it matters: City staff said increasing downtown housing is intended to add a population that, in turn, attracts retail and restaurants. Boggan said the program is a pilot to be adjusted by council if needed. "This is intended to be a pilot program so that... it can be tweaked as needed, abandoned if necessary, or enhanced if it ends up being something that proves successful," Boggan said.

Details and limits in the draft: Staff recommended a minimum unit size of 675 square feet with at least one bathroom and an efficiency kitchen, a 24‑month vacancy threshold for existing units to qualify, and indoor noise attenuation standards (target 45 dB or lower for units near the rail line). Administration and program delivery would be handled by the local development corporation (LDC) with the city finance department issuing reimbursements; Boggan said a 10% administrative fee to the LDC is being proposed for this pilot.

Council action at the meeting: Committee members moved and seconded both staff items and voted to forward them to the full council for consideration. The transfer of $27,011 and the 24/7 Downtown pilot were forwarded to council by voice vote.

Next steps: Both the municipal order to reprogram Legacy Hopkinsville funds and the draft 24/7 Downtown program will appear on a future council agenda for final action. Boggan told committee members she would return with answers to more detailed procedural questions if council requests changes.