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Zoning committee urges limited, forward-looking county zoning; calls for protections for property owners
Summary
A citizen-led zoning committee recommended Bourbon County adopt a limited zoning framework that starts by designating unincorporated county land agricultural (A-1), requires conditional-use permits or rezoning for large commercial or industrial uses, and includes environmental and visual-screening studies for large developments.
A citizen zoning committee presented its final recommendations to the Bourbon County Commission after several meetings and three town halls. The committee recommended the county pursue "limited zoning" that initially zones unincorporated land A-1 (agricultural) while establishing clear definitions and processes for large commercial (C-1) and industrial (I-1) development.
The committee argued the approach would preserve productive farm and ranch land while allowing the county to define thresholds that trigger review: examples discussed included building footprint or percentage of a lot, noise at property lines, hazardous-material thresholds, vehicle-traffic impacts, energy-output levels for generation projects, and project monetary value.
Committee members said zoning must protect personal-property rights while also protecting neighbors' interests. The report recommends grandfathering existing businesses in their current location while allowing reasonable ownership changes or limited expansions; the committee said a phase-out requirement should not be included.
The recommendation also calls for requiring environmental and property-value studies for large projects, reasonable setback and visual screening standards, and consideration of a county-wide limit on acreage allowed for large-scale industrial development expressed as a percentage of unincorporated land.
Committee co-chair (presenter) Kenneth told commissioners: "It is the recommendation of this committee to begin by zoning the entire county A-1, which would be agricultural land," and described the committee's view that "zoning must be business friendly" and should use a reputable planning firm to help limit implementation costs.
Commissioners thanked the committee for the work and said they would hold commission work sessions and public hearings before any action. The commission also said it would invite the committee back and review the committee's bylaws and findings before deciding how to proceed with ordinance drafting.
Ending: Commissioners said the recommendations would be the starting point for commissioner-led work sessions and public hearings to create an implementation pathway if the commission chooses to proceed.
