NIMBYs 2, developers 0.

That was the final outcome of a sometimes-contentious and occasionally raucous meeting Thursday night of the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County.

In a meeting that lasted five hours and featured a standing-room-only crowd in the Bowling Green City Commission chambers, the planning commission denied a rezoning request for a townhome development near Shawnee Estates subdivision and voted down for a second time a rezoning request for a multi-family residential development near Silver Springs subdivision on Three Springs Road.

In each case, the Not-In-My-Back-Yard sentiment ruled, with Shawnee Estates and Silver Springs residents making their cases forcefully and successfully.

In a 6-4 vote, the planning commission denied a request from 34 Properties LLC and Harlan-Gray Investments LLC, both owned by Matt Simpson, to rezone from single-family residential to multi-family residential an L-shaped 3.28-acre tract at 1011 Campbell Lane that borders the end of Mohawk Drive. That vote, which came after 22 residents of Shawnee Estates or nearby subdivisions spoke against the plan for a 33-unit townhome development, prompted the type of cheering and clapping outburst normally heard after winning shots at E.A. Diddle Arena.

Attorney Chris Davenport, representing Simpson, said the development would include high-quality townhomes that would attract young professionals. He also tried to allay concerns about increased traffic by pointing out that the development would have a gated entrance on Mohawk and a right-turn-only entrance and exit on Campbell Lane.

The arguments didn’t fly with Shawnee Estates residents such as Blane Burnett, one of the 22 speakers.

“If traffic is right-turn-only on Campbell Lane, that’s only going to push all the traffic through Mohawk,” Burnett said. “It’s going to make life difficult for all of us.”

Citing problems with nearby apartment complexes Hilltop Club (formerly College Suites) and Regency Apartments, Burnett said: “Another apartment complex near Shawnee Estates would blend together about as well as oil and water.”

The planning commission will send a recommendation to the Bowling Green City Commission to deny the rezoning, but Davenport and Simpson will continue to weigh their options.

“I’ll talk with my client,” Davenport said. “It may be that we can look at it and make some concessions, or we can continue on and take it to the city commission.”

Where the proposed Three Springs Road development goes next is nearly as confusing as the vote to deny the rezoning request.

GVTP Development LLC was asking that 33.8695 acres sandwiched between Silver Springs subdivision and the KOA campground be rezoned from agriculture to multi-family residential so the land could be developed into a maximum of 36 lots with no more than 304 housing units.

Commissioner Larkin Ritter’s motion to approve the request failed when only four commissioners voted for it. Commissioner Chuck Coppinger then made a motion to deny the rezoning, and that first resulted in a 5-5 tie. With confusion about the denial motion cleared up, the commissioners voted 6-4 to deny.

The property in question is in the county but was annexed on first reading by the city commission Tuesday, so a denial recommendation will be sent to either Warren County Fiscal Court or the city commission.

“Our recommendation to whomever it ends up going to will be to deny,” planning commission Chair Velma Runner said.

This is the second denial for the project, which had been reworked after being defeated in a 5-4 vote in June.

Attorney Mark Alcott, representing the developers, pointed out that efforts had been made to address concerns about traffic and drainage problems that led to the project’s defeat in June.

Water runoff from the development would be collected and redirected to a pond on the site, Alcott and engineer Lucas Slavey pointed out.

As for increased traffic on Three Springs Road, Alcott made the case that the road was a high priority for widening in a recent ranking of local transportation projects.

“We’ve done everything we can possibly do (about traffic),” Alcott said. “We offered to put in a signal at our cost, but the state said they didn’t want it.”

Attorney Davenport, representing a group from the Silver Springs subdivision, said: “A traffic signal is one of the ways to mitigate the traffic. The one thing the neighbors need is not being done. We could be years without traffic mitigation.”

In the end, the traffic and drainage concerns outweighed the changes presented by Alcott and developer Buster Stewart.

In other business Thursday, the planning commission:

• approved an application from The Salvation Army to close about 3,032 square feet of right of way of two unnamed alleys located between the properties of 400 W. Main Ave. and 418 W. Main Ave.
• approved a Detailed Development Plan presented by Stockyard Real Estate LLC to develop 3.96 acres at 442 Bourbon St. The plan proposes the construction of three three-story buildings containing a total of 18 one-bedroom units, 48 two-bedroom units and six three-bedroom units for a total of 72 dwelling units.
• approved an application by Kentucky RSA No. 3 Cellular General Partnership and Johnny and David Tarter to construct a wireless communications tower at 2071 Old Louisville Road.
• approved an application by William David and Judith Lynn Wimpee to rezone 1.461 acres located on a portion of 104 Claypool Boyce Road from agriculture to residential estate.
• approved an application by Bishop Land Sales LLC (James Bishop) to rezone 1.12 acres at 275 Collett Road in Plano from residential estate to single-family residential in order to subdivide the tract into four lots.
• approved an application by Banks and Patricia Crandell to rezone tracts of land containing 2.3217 acres located at 800, 900 and 904 Boatlanding Road from highway business to multi-family residential. The development plan calls for the property to be developed with a maximum of 12 total lots with a maximum of 24 dwelling units.
• approved an application by Vulcan Investments LLC to rezone 0.2296 acres at 1415 Nutwood St. from townhouse/multi-family residential to multi-family residential.
• approved an application by Alex Alvarado to rezone 3.0795 acres on Morgantown Road (bounded by Salt Lick Road and Taylor Lane) from agriculture and floodplain to residential estate and floodplain in order to subdivide the property into two lots.

– Follow business reporter Don Sergent on Twitter @BGDNbusiness or visit bgdailynews.com.