For a second time, a plan to bring a large housing development to the growing Smiths Grove community has met with a deadlocked vote.

The City-County Planning Commission of Warren County, meeting Nov. 21, stalemated in a 2-2 vote over a rezoning proposal that would bring about 100 single-family houses to a 34-acre site fronting Smiths Grove-Scottsville Road.

Located near the Buc-ee’s supersized convenience store that has spurred growth in the traditionally bucolic city, the plan put forth by entrepreneur Paul Isenberg met the same fate as a plan to build nearly 200 houses along Hedge Street near downtown Smiths Grove.

That earlier plan put forth by Gallatin, Tennessee, real estate developer Jeremy Riggs, met with three tie votes at the planning commission and has been remanded back to that body by Warren Fiscal Court.

The planning commission is tentatively scheduled to hear the Riggs proposal again on Jan. 16, 2025, if all five commissioners eligible to vote on the matter are present.

Isenberg’s proposed development could be heard at that January meeting as well after its failure to get a majority vote at the Nov. 21 meeting despite concessions made by Isenberg.

Himself a Smiths Grove resident, Isenberg purchased the acreage at auction earlier this year and came up with a plan to develop it with 112 houses of at least 1,250 square feet each.

His application to rezone the property from agriculture to single-family residential brought out nearly 20 concerned Smiths Grove residents to the Nov. 21 meeting and led to Isenberg scaling the proposal down a bit.

Attorney Mark Alcott, representing Isenberg, argued that the plan to build modest-sized houses addresses a pressing need in a county that is growing rapidly.

“Housing affordability is a big issue,” Alcott said. “These are the types of houses that are needed in this county.”

Alcott estimated that the development plan would allow the houses to be priced in a range between $200,000 and $250,000, but the plan met with objections from a number of Smiths Grove residents.

Ronnie Wilson, who lives on Smiths Grove-Scottsville Road, acknowledged that the small city is “in a state of growth”, but he questioned if Isenberg’s plan goes too far.

“It looks to me like there are way too many houses per acre,” Wilson said. “I know we’re going to have growth, but I would like to have a nice community.”

Four other speakers raised concerns about the density as well as the impact on traffic, the infrastructure, and public services like fire protection.

“If you put this in, it’s going to decrease the value of my property,” said Donavon Carroll, another Smiths Grove-Scottsville Road resident.

Those objections led to concessions from Isenberg. He agreed to reduce the maximum number of lots to 100, to include more masonry products and less vinyl in the facades of the houses, and to include attached garages instead of detached.

Despite the concessions, only commissioners Tim Graham and Amy Drane voted for the rezoning. Debbie Richey, who represents Smiths Grove on the planning commission, was joined by county appointee Rick Starks in voting against it.

Under planning commission rules, only the four county appointees and the one Smiths Grove appointee were eligible to vote on the item. County appointee Christiaan Volkert was absent.

The rezoning application will now most likely be added to the planning commission’s Jan. 16 agenda. Isenberg is hopeful that it can pass with all county commissioners voting.

“I’m definitely confident that it should go through, that it’s something that’s needed,” he said. “Obviously, I have no influence on that vote.

“Deep down, I hope they’ll see what I see: that there’s a drastic need for this.”

Another rezoning application expected to face opposition was withdrawn from the Nov. 21 agenda but may return in altered form.

Habitat for Humanity of Bowling Green/Warren County and property owner Platinum Development LLC had applied to rezone from agriculture and general business to single-family residential 24.46 acres along Russellville Road across from Whitney Drive in order to build 115 houses.

Funded by a Community Development Block Grant through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Habitat for Humanity plan to build affordable houses may still go forward, just not at the Russellville Road site.

“We are moving forward with the project but will be looking for another piece of property,” said Rodney Goodman, Habitat’s local executive director. “There was some opposition to the project at that location.”