Oldham County reviewers flag stormwater and setback issues for proposed five-unit apartment

Anna Barge, senior planner with Oldham County Planning and Development, opened the Technical Review Committee meeting on Nov. 19, 2025, and led a review of a Key Homes LLC application for a five-unit apartment building on a 0.36-acre lot on La Grange Road.

"It's a pretty straightforward request," said Derek Triplett, the project's engineer with Land Design and Development. "We're proposing a a 5 unit apartment complex, a single building with 10 associated parking spaces." Triplett also said the proposal includes on-site stormwater detention and a variance request for the rear-yard setback along the railroad tracks.

The committee and agency reviewers identified a set of required plan revisions and regulatory clearances before the project can proceed to the Planning Commission. Planning staff asked the applicant to confirm whether two existing structures had been demolished (demo permits were recorded in May and June), add the year to plan dates, fix labeling (including spacing in 'La Grange'), and show the proposed rear-yard setback on both sides of the rear building where the variance is requested. Staff also requested fire hydrant locations, corrected 5-foot contour intervals, a noted building height, verification of stormwater flows, and a landscaping and lighting plan. Barge said the setback variance will go to the Oldham County Board of Adjustments for review.

Representatives from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and county engineering raised stormwater and right-of-way concerns. Anna Barge read KYTC comments stating that "additional right of way may be required across the frontage of this tract to meet current local development code" and that any proposal altering drainage affecting state right-of-way must include a complete drainage survey and hydrological analysis for the 25-year and 100-year storms. The KYTC comments also listed standard conditions for right-of-way landscaping, sidewalk ADA upgrades, access design and entrance throat width limits.

"I don't think [land disturbance] exceeds 1 acre on this," said Jim Silliman of the Oldham County Engineer's Office, "however it appears to be a common plan of development with the apartments on the other side of the street, so we would consider this a common plan and therefore, does require the Oldham County stormwater management and erosion control permit." Silliman also said the applicant will likely need a KYR 10 permit from the Kentucky Division of Water, provide pavement cross sections, verify FEMA map dates and numbers, show internal parking geometry for emergency access and trash collection, record a drainage easement, and enter a stormwater maintenance agreement.

Silliman noted the project's small size means it likely generates only about three peak-hour trips and therefore does not require a traffic impact study, but he reiterated encroachment-permit and right-of-way review requirements for driveway access.

Other technical points: Matt Toler (GIS) said there is capacity on La Grange Road to assign individual addresses for each unit or the applicant could propose a private road name; Michael Williams of the Oldham County Board of Education asked for the number of bedrooms per unit to calculate expected student generation under the district's policy; and Russ Rose of Oldham County Water confirmed the site is within the water district's service area and had no additional comments.

The committee received no public comments. Barge confirmed the item is scheduled for the Dec. 9 Planning Commission meeting and noted the variance application would be heard by the Board of Adjustments in December. No decisions were made at the Technical Review Committee meeting; staff and agencies requested the technical revisions and permits described above before the application advances.