Boyle County planning staff explain proposed shift to 5-acre minimum for agricultural lots

Planning Director Hannah Gray told a public information session that the Planning & Zoning Commission has recommended a zoning-ordinance text amendment to raise the minimum lot size in the agricultural zone from about 50,000 square feet (roughly 1 acre) to 5 acres.

The proposal, Gray said, is intended to “encourage density within the urban service area” and to protect agricultural land where utilities and road infrastructure are insufficient. “So in doing that and that it goes along with the goals and objectives of the comp plan is that we want to densify the city limits and keep agricultural as minimum density as possible,” Gray said.

Why it matters: the proposed change would only apply to parcels that remain in the agricultural zoning designation; landowners who want a smaller lot would need to request a zone change (for example to a rural-residential or R‑1 district) and submit the required surveys, technical reviews and application fees. Gray said the change is a step that reflects the comprehensive plan the Planning & Zoning Commission adopted after public comment; she described the comprehensive-plan process as multi-year outreach and said the plan and future land-use map were adopted by the…