Fiscal court holds first readings on multiple rezonings and zoning-text amendments including storage, solar and EV rules

Boone County Fiscal Court conducted first readings and heard presentations on multiple zoning and zoning-text items at its Jan. 7 meeting, including two site-specific rezonings and three text amendments affecting the Graves Road commercial area, solar-energy and battery-storage regulations, and the county's definitions for electric-vehicle charging stations and gasoline filling stations.

Michael Schwartz, the county zoning administrator, presented a request by Strauth Homes (listed in packet as Strauth/Trout Homes) to rezone about 5.3 acres at the northeast corner of North Bend Road and Conrad Lane from RS (rural suburban) to I‑1 (Industrial 1). The concept includes a roughly 30,000‑square‑foot one‑story flex building on the southern half and a proposed brewery/taproom and recreational uses on the northern half. Planning staff and the planning commission recommended approval (a vote reported in the record as unanimous or 13–0 depending on the excerpt). Conditions include restricting the southern half to the listed uses, requiring a sidewalk along Conrad Lane, buffer yards, and that any changes to the concept plan return to public hearing and the fiscal court.

Applicant Brad Trauth described the proposal as a "community amenity" tied to the new multi-use bike path and said the concept grew from his family's plan to create a trailhead and recreational destination.

Separately, Steve Lilly presented a request by Cinqular/Sincular Investments to rezone about 1.2 acres at Mount Zion Road and Lakeside Drive from Mobile Home Park to Commercial 4 for a proposed ~2,300‑sq‑ft Wendy's with drive‑through, 29 parking spaces and a required connection to adjacent property (Demia Way) to alleviate traffic. The planning commission recommended approval with conditions that include recording an ingress/egress easement and completing the connection prior to opening. A representative said Green Lawn mobile-home park contains about 300 spaces and that most homes are individually owned with spaces rented.

On text amendments, the planning commission recommended adding "residential storage warehouse" as a conditional use in Graves Road commercial districts subject to a condition that limits intensity to 15,000 square feet of building footprint per acre (allowing vertical storage while preserving ground-level green space). Schwartz noted the limit differs from the current 15,000 square feet of gross floor area per acre; the change allows greater vertical development under controlled footprint rules. The court completed first readings for the Graves Road text amendment and set second readings for Jan. 21.

The court also considered zoning-text amendments to define and regulate solar‑energy systems and battery‑storage facilities. Staff said the text aims to allow rooftop and accessory solar while preventing large ground-mounted solar farms in nonindustrial zones, and to restrict large battery-storage facilities to industrial districts. Finally, the county proposed definitional changes to align electric-vehicle charging and gasoline-filling-station definitions with House Bill 581 as codified in KRS 100.326; staff emphasized the change is definitional and does not change where gas stations are allowed in the county.

All of the site rezoning items and text amendments were presented and read for first reading; final action (second readings/adoptions) are scheduled for Jan. 21.