State Rep. DJ Johnson was recognized Tuesday night by the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) for his efforts to address the state’s housing crisis through legislation that supports local planning and zoning reform.
Johnson was presented with the Friend of Cities award during the Owensboro Board of Commissioners meeting, honoring his sponsorship of House Bill 321 during the 2025 legislative session. The bill, which took effect last week, was a priority for KLC and updates the training requirements for planning and zoning board members and staff across the state.
“There’s a housing shortage that’s pretty critical across the state,” Johnson said. “One of the biggest challenges is helping potential homeowners — especially first-time buyers — get into a home. This legislation ensures that planning and zoning boards give greater consideration to that need.”
The bill requires that all planning and zoning board trainings include content related to the impact of zoning decisions on first-time homeownership and overall housing availability. While training time was not increased, HB 321 made that particular focus mandatory rather than optional. Johnson said the change was designed to make the training more responsive to Kentucky’s growing housing needs.
The bill also includes an amendment stipulating that only adjacent property owners can file legal action to oppose certain zoning decisions. Johnson said he did not originally propose that provision but was comfortable including it in the final version.
KLC Government Affairs Director Gracie Kelley said the organization is selective in presenting its legislative awards and praised Johnson as one of their strongest allies in Frankfort.
“There are a ton of organizations that give an award to everybody for everything, but I like to think we’re different,” Kelley said. “This session, we only gave legislative awards to those who sponsored KLC initiatives. Representative Johnson not only did that, but also voted with us on every single city issue. That’s almost unheard of.”
Lauren Lewis, Government Affairs Counsel for KLC, said Johnson was “very passionate about planning and zoning” and worked closely with the League throughout the process.
“This was a really good bill for cities,” Lewis said. “It gives local boards more flexibility in how they complete their training, and it makes sure that a portion of their education focuses on how planning and zoning decisions affect housing availability.”
Johnson said he was honored by the recognition but emphasized that the bill is one of many small but meaningful efforts that can help improve life for Kentuckians.
“This isn’t earth-shattering, and it’s not about the award,” he said. “The big, flashy legislation always gets attention, but a lot of what we do is just making things a little better for people. That’s what this bill does — it might not change the world, but it can change someone’s world.”
Kelley closed her remarks by encouraging the Owensboro community to be proud of Johnson’s service.
“You all have a true champion here,” she said. “We’re extremely thankful for Representative Johnson, and you should be, too.”
