Georgetown leaders agree to form steering committee to overhaul zoning code, press state on traffic studies

Georgetown Mayor Bernie Jenkins and members of the planning commission and city council agreed Tuesday to form a joint steering committee to begin a phased update of the city's zoning code and to press state transportation officials for better predictive traffic studies.

The decision followed a staff presentation by Holden Fleming, director of planning, who reviewed the city's Goals and Objectives (adopted January 2023) and the 2024 future land use map that guides annexation and zoning decisions. Fleming told the group, “We are required to update this document every 5 years,” and said the planning office would use the implementation chapter's matrix to identify zoning changes tied to the council's priorities.

Why it matters: Council members and commissioners repeatedly raised concerns that building approvals are outpacing infrastructure capacity. Speakers pointed to narrow local roads and intersections near new apartments and commercial projects and warned that without code changes or developer commitments the city's taxpayers would be left to pay for upgrades. One participant said developer responsibility should be increased upfront rather than relying solely on post-construction fixes.

Fleming outlined the legal constraints the city faces when trying to refuse development. He cited KRS 100.243 in explaining variance review and warned against "performative" variances that create self-inflicted hardship, saying variances "can't be performative in nature." He also described recent state legislation, House Bill 443, and its integration into KRS 100, which requires objective, ministerial standards for many subdivision and development-plan approvals unless a clear deviation or threat to public health, safety or welfare is shown.

On affordable housing, several council members urged action. Tammy Lusby Mitchell said the city must examine options beyond market-driven construction, including using city- or county-owned parcels, partnering with nonprofits or exploring incentives. Fleming noted inclusionary approaches used elsewhere: "I've seen where when a development comes in, a certain percentage of units is required to be multifamily affordable housing units in that development." The participants discussed both new construction and revitalization of underused or blighted sites as routes to preserve affordability.

Traffic and safety concerns occupied much of the discussion. A council member cited the state's reliance on existing traffic counts for signal warrants and questioned whether those studies adequately predict future traffic caused by a new development. Fleming acknowledged the problem and proposed exploring requirements for traffic studies that include comparable existing sites or predictive data rather than only current counts.

Next steps: The group recorded two near-term action items: (1) the mayor and staff will consult on the exact composition of a joint steering committee and seek a formal motion at a subsequent council meeting directing staff and the planning commission to begin a review of policy-based zoning amendments; and (2) staff and council members will pursue conversations with state transportation officials and legislators about more predictive traffic-study methodologies and local options for mitigating road impacts.

The meeting closed with Mayor Jenkins urging immediate work: "Let's start from day 1," he said, and the session adjourned with staff committing to distribute notes and return the item as a standing topic at the next council meeting.

Sources: Statements and staff presentation at the Georgetown joint planning commission/city council workshop, Sept. 23, 2025. Quotes attributed to Holden Fleming (director of planning) and Mayor Bernie Jenkins are from the meeting transcript.