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Commissioners table vote on RL Turner rezoning after neighborhood concerns
Summary
Boone County commissioners voted to table a request to rezone 8.75 acres on State Road 39 South from agricultural to light industrial after commissioners and residents urged more neighbor outreach and review of overlay plan compatibility.
Boone County commissioners on Friday voted to table consideration of a rezoning petition that would change 8.75 acres on State Road 39 South from AG (agricultural) to I‑1 (light industrial) for use as an R.L. Turner construction headquarters and warehouse.
The petition, presented by attorney Kent Franzen on behalf of R.L. Turner, included written commitments limiting the site to a general construction company headquarters and warehouse, a 10‑year commitment not to seek rezoning of adjacent parcels owned by the applicant, restrictions on signage and electronic illumination, and a requirement that berm and landscaping details be approved by the area plan commission.
The tabled motion followed substantial discussion and public comment. Commissioner comments said many nearby residents were unaware of the applicant’s commitments and wanted more direct outreach. Commissioner Lawson said face‑to‑face conversations with neighbors would be valuable. John Merson, president of the Area Plan Commission, urged deference to the planning commission’s recommendation and noted the petition had been recommended against by the planning commission 4–1.
Franzen said the applicant had amended the application since the planning commission hearing to strengthen commitments and offered to sign the written commitments. He also said the proposed monument sign would be ground‑level and use standard bulbs, with no digital or blinking signage.
Commissioners discussed scheduling a neighborhood meeting to present the commitments and requested the applicant work with county staff to set the meeting. Franzen said the applicant was willing to use the county meeting room during business hours for neighbor meetings and that the petition must be acted on within the statutory timeframe (the applicant noted certification dated July 11, 2025, and commissioners said the petition must be considered within the allowed period).
A motion to table the zoning petition carried by voice vote; the item will return to the board within the statutory period for action or reappearance on a future agenda.
Why it matters: Rezoning requests change permitted uses for private property and can affect traffic, visual buffering and nearby residential property values. The petition drew attention because it represents a spot rezoning inside an area addressed by the county’s overlay district and comprehensive‑planning efforts.
What’s next: County staff and the applicant will coordinate a neighbor meeting and provide additional materials, and the commissioners will take the petition back up within the allowable statutory period.
