Jeffersontown business owner seeks expedited conditional-use approval after parking encroachment flagged

Property owner Bruce Wetnam and tenant Michelle Vincent asked Jeffersontown planning staff and council members to expedite a conditional-use permit that would authorize patrons to take wine outside on a property in the downtown area. Wetnam said he purchased and renovated the former St. Paul Methodist Church property (about one acre) and that a long-standing parking area now shows an encroachment of roughly two feet into the public right of way.

Wetnam said the tenant needs the permit for spring and summer business. Planning staff explained that moving a gravel lot to pavement triggered current landscape requirements, a revised site plan and, because pavement encroaches into the city right of way, a city license agreement. Planner Steve (last name not specified in public remarks) said the applicant submitted a pre-application and received comments; because the neighborhood meeting occurred at submission, the land-development code’s 90‑day filing requirement means the applicant must formally file revised plans, include a license agreement and hold another neighborhood meeting (14-day notice) before staff can place the item on the next available Board of Adjustment (JOBOA) agenda. The waiver to the five-foot landscape buffer would then come to council if JOBOA approves a variance.

Legal and administrative questions were flagged as outside planning staff control. Planning staff said the license agreement is a legal document requiring the Department of Public Works and possibly legal review; one staff member said he had drafted a licensing agreement template in the past that could be used if Public Works approves it. Council members and staff agreed to meet with the owner promptly to try to expedite the process within existing code timelines.

Michelle Vincent, who operates a wine-tasting venue at the site, described being open seven days a week, participating in the Kentucky Wine and Vine Trail and relying on outdoor seating for customers; she said outdoor service is important to her business model during peak season.

Council members said staff would meet with the applicant to review needed submittals; staff estimated that once the license agreement and revised plans are filed and the neighborhood meeting held, the item could move to JOBOA and then to council for a waiver.