Months after the long-vacant juvenile justice property on KY 54 in Owensboro was finally sold for redevelopment, State Rep. DJ Johnson has filed legislation aimed at preventing similar delays across Kentucky.
House Bill 467, filed this week, would give local communities more authority to identify and purchase unused state-owned land. The move follows a 2025 Owensboro Times report that detailed the six-year wait to repurpose the KY 54 site — a process Johnson said was “far too slow and unnecessarily complicated.”
“Putting land ownership back into Kentuckians’ hands is what this bill is all about,” said Johnson, a Republican from Owensboro. “Rather than state-owned property sitting unused, communities have the opportunity to purchase and use it to their benefit.”
The bill would allow citizens and local governments to initiate a review of state-owned land suspected of being unused. If deemed surplus, the property could then be opened for local purchase. HB 467 also requires state and local agencies to maintain and secure the property until ownership is officially transferred and sets a clear process for local officials to notify the state of their interest.
“The objective is to identify properties that are sitting useless, sitting vacant, and then hopefully put a more streamlined process — with maybe a firmer timeline — in place to move these properties back into some kind of use,” Johnson said.
The KY 54 parcel, which sat idle for years, was eventually bought by the City of Owensboro and then immediately sold for private redevelopment. Johnson and Sen. Gary Boswell pointed to the drawn-out process as a catalyst for reform. Both lawmakers said similar scenarios are playing out across Kentucky, leaving vacant state-owned buildings and land off the tax rolls and hindering economic growth.
“From developing housing to commercial uses of unused state property, there is great opportunity for local economic growth and community enrichment with the passing of this bill,” Johnson said.
For more information on HB 467, visit legislature.ky.gov.
