In Bowling Green, Preserve America Meets the America's Affordable Communities Initiative

The City of Bowling Green, a designated Preserve America community, announced the opening of the second phase of Lee Square on Thursday, October 2, 2008. Lee Square is a single family residential development in the heart of historic downtown Bowling Green located adjacent to the Shake Rag National Register Historic District. "Lee Square has been a great addition in the progress of our downtown redevelopment," said Housing and Community Development Director, Alice Burks. "We are delighted to see five more houses completed, and more importantly, to know that these houses will become home for five families very soon."

Lee Square is in the 200 block of State, College, and Max Hampton Streets. All homes are conveniently located within blocks of the riverfront, medical facilities, the digital library, parks and recreation community center, shopping and more. Two of the special amenities offered include a new neighborhood playground accessible by sidewalk and an interior walking trail.

Max Hampton Street, the newest phase of the Lee Square single family residential development in historic downtown Bowling Green, is named after a longtime resident of the historic Shake Rag district.

The City of Bowling Green is the developer of Lee Square. Two local non-profits, HANDS, Inc., and Live the Dream, are the contractors that have constructed the homes. When fully developed, there will be 27 new homes. The homes are 1,200 to 1,500 square feet. Each home features three bedrooms and two baths with brick, hardy plank, or a combination of both, along with double pane insulated windows, Energy Star rated appliances, and more. The development features several innovations in single family construction, including the installation of fire sprinkler systems in each house, sponsored by the Bowling Green Fire Department, use of carriage strip driveways to reduce storm water runoff, and a narrower street on Max Hampton with a wider walking path.

Preserve America (www.preserveamerica.gov/) is a White House initiative in cooperation with the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the U.S. Departments of Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Education; the National Endowment for the Humanities; the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities; and the President's Council on Environmental Quality. For more information about becoming a Kentucky Preserve America community, you may contact the Kentucky Heritage Council (http://heritage.ky.gov/).

Bowling Green is a recipient of the 2007 Robert L. Woodson, Jr. Award through the HUD America's Affordable Communities Initiative. The City of Bowling Green was and continues to be recognized for demonstrating that permit fee waivers, the implementation of flexible development standards, and amendments to zoning ordinances help increase housing opportunities for lower-income households. Lee Square was one of the developments in which Bowling Green was recognized for demonstrating leadership in these areas.

Both HUD Community Development Block Grant and HOME funding were used in the construction of this development.