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Franklin County takes first reading on streamlined zone-change process; staff to refine notice and timing
Summary
The fiscal court received a first reading of a zoning-text amendment adopting the KRS 100.2111 alternate zone-change process (allowing planning commission recommendations to become final after a set period). Staff will adjust language on notice, the aggrieved-person process and may extend the 21-day window to 31 days for administrative reliability.
Frankfort — At a Jan. 20 first reading, Franklin County’s planning director presented a text amendment to the county zoning code to allow an alternate zone‑change process under KRS 100.2111 that would, in uncontested cases, permit the planning commission’s recommendation to become final after a fixed period unless an aggrieved party requests fiscal-court review.
Planning Director Autumn explained the principal changes: permitting the planning commission’s recommendation to become final after the statutory period, updating the zoning map references to GIS, requiring property-owner signatures on zone-change applications, and removing a vague subdivision-notice provision. The draft currently uses 21 days (per the statute); staff said the court had expressed interest in increasing that to 31 days to avoid the court inadvertently missing the statutory window.
Court discussion and staff follow-up: Magistrates pressed for clearer notice standards (for example, whether notification should be to adjacent owners or a fixed radius such as 1,000 feet), asked how the planning department will post and transmit timely notice to the fiscal court, and requested that the file record include when the planning commission’s final action occurs so the statutory clock is clear. Autumn said staff would draft a short post‑meeting summary to email the court the next business day and create a simple written form for aggrieved parties to document their request.
Next steps: Autumn will revise the draft to incorporate clarifications requested by the court — including language to allow any individual member of the fiscal court to request that the court decide a zone change (rather than require a full court motion), clearer notice metrics, and administrative procedures for timely notice — and return it for a second reading and potential vote.
