Bishop Place Phase 2 rezoning, development plan reviewed; county flags shared-driveway easement and utility notes

Oldham County staff on Feb. 19 reviewed a zoning-map amendment and development plan for Bishop Place Apartments Phase 2 (TRC25-004), in which the applicant seeks to rezone a 0.75-acre former MSD building site from R-2A to R-4 and add one eight-unit apartment building. County staff and utilities flagged access-easement, utility-connection and sidewalk-connection issues that the applicant must address before the project advances to the planning commission and fiscal court.

Mike Swansburg, representing Bishop Place Apartments, introduced the proposal and said the project will consolidate the former MSD parcel with the existing Bishop Place Apartments to create a consistent R-4 zoning pattern across the site. Derek Triplett, the project engineer, said the revised plan removes the previously proposed Dawkins Road entrance and instead relies on the existing shared driveway used by the funeral home and the existing apartment complex. "We are removing the proposed access point to Dawkins Road. We'll just be utilizing the existing access point that is the shared driveway that currently serves the development," Triplett said, and added that utilities are available and the project will reduce impervious surface on the parcel.

Staff and agency comments focused on several technical items: - Planning staff (Anna Barge) asked the applicant to add standard plan legend symbols (including tree and steep slope symbols), note the existing building proposed for demolition and list any waivers or variances to be requested. - KYTC (comments summarized by staff) recommended tying the Phase 2 access to the existing Phase 1 access and "no secondary access to Dawkins" because of horizontal and vertical curvature on Dawkins that affects sight distance; staff noted this approach appears to match the applicant’s revised plan. - LaGrange Utilities Commission asked that the applicant submit plans showing water and sewer service connection locations for review, cap any existing sewer connections if the structure is demolished and terminate removed water services at the main if applicable. - County staff (Jim Silliman) noted an existing detention basin on Phase 1 has not been placed in an easement yet; staff said an easement will be needed at some point though that is a separate project requirement.

County staff also raised an access-easement concern: with the revised plan routing all vehicular access through the existing shared driveway adjacent to a funeral home, staff said they wanted to see an access easement and maintenance agreement recorded if the development will rely on the funeral-home driveway for vehicle movements. "If you're gonna put all your parking vehicles through the funeral home existing driveway, we'd want to see an access easement in place with some type of maintenance agreement," a county reviewer said.

The applicant said it will research whether an access agreement exists for the shared driveway and that topography, utilities and retaining walls limit other connectivity options; Triplett said the team examined flipping the building to tie in to Phase 1 but found it likely infeasible because of grades, utilities and retaining walls. "There's a few reasons why we think that's gonna be very difficult, if not just implausible, topographic relation between 1 site to another … We've got the retaining wall on that backside for the Bishop Place apartment," Triplett said.

School staff told the TRC that eight additional two-bedroom units would be expected to generate roughly one net student serving LaGrange Elementary (referred to at the meeting), Oldham Middle and Oldham High. Fire and emergency responders present said they had no additional comments.

Public comment centered on traffic and procession impacts. Joelle Kerfoot, who manages and lives at the adjacent funeral home on West Jefferson, said her concerns focused on traffic patterns, visitation and funerals, processions and a proposed gas station across Dawkins Road. Kerfoot asked where to raise those concerns in future hearings; county staff advised that a zoning-map amendment must still go to the planning commission and then to fiscal court, both of which are public hearings and will include mailed notice to adjoining owners.

Discussion vs. decision: the TRC issued technical comments and requested documentation (service-connection plans, easement review and demolition notation) but took no zoning decision at the meeting. The applicant will return with requested documentation and any recorded access agreements before the rezoning and development plan proceed through the normal public hearings.

Next steps: applicant to verify any existing access agreement with the funeral home, supply utility-connection plans required by LaGrange Utilities, note demolition of the existing structure on plans, and pursue the zoning map amendment and development-plan hearings with the planning commission and fiscal court. The TRC record will include the agency comments for inclusion in those hearings.