Council approves detailed plan for Prospect Point redevelopment, developer outlines phasing and pedestrian, tree and screening measures

The Prospect City Council on Monday approved Resolution 5, Series 2025, authorizing a revised detailed development plan and timing elements for the redevelopment of the Prospect Point shopping center at 9505 U.S. Highway 42.

The developer, Asa Harris of Harris Development Partners, told the council the plan retains five existing buildings, demolishes and rebuilds other sections in phases, adds about 20,000 square feet of new shops and will “triple the amount of tree canopy on-site.” Harris said the project will add exactly 89 new trees and create extended sidewalks and pedestrian connections to River Road and the crossing to the Fox Harbor neighborhood.

The resolution matters because the center sits at a major intersection in Prospect. Harris said the plan aims to “respect the wonderful character of the city of Prospect,” bringing architectural changes intended to tie the center to a more residential scale, and to screen service areas. He described a roughly 14-foot screening wall along River Road that will hide loading docks and truck activity from public view.

Council members and the city’s architectural review committee reviewed the materials for months. Council members and committee members pressed the developer on materials and design; the record shows the developer increased the amount of brick used after that feedback. Mayor Doug Barnsley told the chamber, “this is not being sprung on the council. Everybody's had a chance to look at it and think about it.”

Harris explained specific pedestrian elements: a six-foot sidewalk along River Road, a roughly 15-foot sidewalk in front of the new grocery/retail anchor to accommodate outdoor seating and improved internal pedestrian circulation, plus two dedicated crosswalk connections to the sidewalk network across U.S. 42. Harris said the team agreed with city staff and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) staff that the developer will pay for sidewalk work along U.S. 42 but will not install it immediately because planned KYTC improvements would require removal and replacement shortly after construction.

On phasing, Harris told the council the redevelopment will begin with demolishing one group of buildings and constructing an initial set of roughly 20,000 square feet of retail to allow tenant relocation before demolishing and rebuilding the remainder. He said the team remains under contract to acquire the property and estimated, “if all things go well with permitting … hopefully within 9 to 12 months we'd be breaking ground,” but he added that specific timing remains uncertain and offered to return with updates as designs and permitting proceed.

Council discussion addressed parking and vehicle circulation. The developer said the parking layout will be reconfigured and that landscaped islands will be added; he also said the overall design creates a net reduction in spaces compared with current counts because of the added landscaping and circulation changes. He acknowledged the site will retain existing leases for several buildings until those leases expire.

Council members asked about electric vehicle charging and were told chargers could be retrofitted later; the developer said the project team would monitor local EV adoption and provide a recommendation later in the design process.

Action: Council voted to approve Resolution 5, Series 2025, the detailed development plan for Prospect Point. The resolution passed with the council’s unanimous approval on the record.

The developer has said the project will come back before the city’s architectural review committee for additional facade and design reviews as phases progress. The discussion and approval allow the project to proceed to later permitting and acquisition steps, but the timetable for construction remains to be refined.

Prospect Point’s redevelopment will remain subject to permit approvals, final civil and architectural design work, leases and any other customary conditions the city imposes during permitting.