226 College St., Elizabethtown

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- Three vacant buildings in Elizabethtown will soon be torn down as the city prepares for growth.

The decision comes in preparation for Ford BlueOval's new battery plant in Hardin County that will initially bring 5,000 jobs to the area. The county was looking to expand business opportunities and housing before, and now, that need is amplified.

"The need is even more urgent now, so we're working really hard to solve that problem," Elizabethtown Mayor Jeff Gregory said.

The city's plans to demolish the buildings were approved last week. An old factory and mobile home park at 226 College St. are being torn down to pave the way for an affordable housing development to prepare for an influx of people moving in the community.

Two other structures — a church on 902 N. Mulberry St. and the old Omelet House on 710 E. Dixie Ave. — were also purchased by the city to be demolished.

The former church on Mulberry Street will eventually become a new fire department for the growing city.

"We have three fire stations now, but as you know, we're growing immensely and we're going to have to continue to work on our fire protection," Gregory said.

There are no plans for the property on East Dixie Avenue yet other than it becoming a parking lot, according to the city. However, officials are taking request for proposals.

The city is hoping to revitalize the south end of Elizabethtown.

"We're open to proposals," Gregory said. "We'd love to see anything that will come in there and really help that south side of town out."

This is the first step in bringing in business and housing for the city. It has led to the hiring of Terry Shipp as business development officer.

"We think ETown is an attractive place to live, work and place, but with the Ford SK announcement coming on, we're ready to put a little gasoline on the fire, so to speak," he said.

Shipp will be a direct liaison between the city and businesses in the community. He's working to retain current businesses and recruit more. Already, Shipp said, he's had discussions with various restaurant groups and other venues.

The city of Elizabethtown is aiming to continue its growth when Ford's new plant brings even more people to the community.

"We are going to be recruiting businesses that we think we're a little bit lacking of and going after some interesting businesses," Shipp said. "We want to be proactive in this."

There's no set date for demolition, but Gregory believes it will happen in the coming months.

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