Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Land Use topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Developer agrees to lower proposed hotel height as Boone County advances Richwood Point zoning first reading
Summary
At first reading, Richwood Development LLC agreed to amend its plan for Richwood Point from five to four stories and limit building height to about 53 feet; the Boone County Fiscal Court set a second reading for June 17 and staff noted an unsolicited packet of photographs was not part of the Planning Commission record.
The Boone County Fiscal Court took first reading on a zoning map amendment and associated height variance from Richwood Development LLC for a roughly 20-acre site known as Richwood Point, and the applicant agreed on the record to limit the building to four stories and a maximum height near 53 feet.
County Administrator Matthew Webster told the court staff had received an unsolicited envelope of photographs that were not part of the Planning Commission public record and therefore were not forwarded to elected officials for consideration. Webster said the applicant's representative reported back to staff that the developer was "amenable" to moving from a five-story plan to a four-story design and to maintaining a height similar to a hotel previously approved at about 53 feet.
Brock McKay, the applicant's representative, confirmed the change. "The applicant is fine with going to the 4 story version," McKay said, adding that final architectural drawings remain pending and that the team intends to conform to the concept development elevations already submitted. McKay told the court the variance language could be written as a condition lowering the approved height from 70 feet to 53 feet.
A resident questioned the height numbers and the court clarified that 53 feet matches the hotel across the street that the court approved a few weeks earlier. Commissioners thanked the applicant for the concession and urged the Planning Commission to align future projects with the county's comprehensive plan to avoid setting conflicting precedents.
Because this was a first reading, the court did not take final action; the judge scheduled a second reading for June 17 and staff said the applicant would sign the amended conditions before leaving the meeting.
What happens next: The court will consider the ordinance and the proposed condition lowering the variance on June 17. If the applicant and the court formalize the condition language, the Planning Commission's variance can be amended as part of the zone change process before final approval.
