A plan to develop a 215-lot subdivision on 48 acres along Morehead Road in southern Warren County, already approved by the county planning commission and on first reading by Warren Fiscal Court, will face a final hurdle Nov. 20.

Spurred by a notice of opposition filed by a resident who lives near the proposed development, county magistrates will conduct an “on the record” hearing via Zoom teleconference at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 20 before their meeting at 9 a.m.

The hearing will be based on the record of the Oct. 1 City-County Planning Commission of Warren County meeting, during which the development plan of builder Barrett Hammer was presented and a number of residents in the Morehead Road area joined the online meeting to express objections to the plan.

“There will be no new evidence presented,” said Kevin Brooks, the attorney representing Hammer. “Members of fiscal court have been provided the record of the planning commission meeting. The hearing will be kind of like closing arguments by both sides.”

The record the magistrates will consider reveals a lengthy discussion of Hammer’s plan that calls for a maximum of 215 homes, each with at least 1,200 square feet of living space and two-car garages.

The development will connect to the 42-lot McLellan Crossings subdivision that Hammer is developing and is described in the rezoning application as an extension of that development.

Such a subdivision would meet a current need for moderately priced homes in the Warren County housing market, the developer said.

Realtors Association of Southern Kentucky CEO Jim DeMaio said in an email that the local real estate market has been setting records for low inventories in residential units for sale in recent months as home sales have continued at a rapid clip despite the coronavirus pandemic.

“There is tremendous need for more options for buyers, as there is great demand for more residential properties for sale,” DeMaio said in October. “Our local market is currently at the lowest inventory we’ve seen.”

The development may meet a need in the local housing market, but many residents on or near Morehead Road would rather that need be met elsewhere.

Emily Graham, who filed the notice of opposition that led to the upcoming hearing, spoke at the Oct. 1 planning commission meeting to express concerns about the density of the development and the resulting traffic congestion.

Graham and other speakers said the increased traffic isn’t adequately addressed by a plan Hammer agreed to in lieu of a traffic impact study.

The developer agreed to install right-turn deceleration lanes at the two access points on Morehead Road into the development and to widen the intersection of Morehead Road and Nashville Road to create dedicated left- and right-turn lanes.

“A turn lane from Morehead Road to Nashville Road won’t help without a traffic light,” said Joe Upchurch, who lives on Cleveland Drive, a connector to Morehead Road.

After hearing the pros and cons of the development on Oct. 1, the planning commission voted 9-2 to approve rezoning the acreage from agriculture to single-family residential. Only Plum Springs representative Sandy Clark and Smiths Grove representative Debbie Richey voted against the application.

When it came to fiscal court for a first (nonbinding) reading Oct. 28, the rezoning passed 5-1, with Sixth District Magistrate Ron Cummings casting the lone dissenting vote.

Brooks is optimistic the rezoning will ultimately be approved by fiscal court, allowing the development to move forward. He will speak in favor of the application at the hearing, while Graham will speak for the opposition.

“We feel like we have a strong application,” Brooks said.

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