A northern Warren County residential development that was delayed by violations of environmental regulations in 2019 has not only resumed; it’s ready to expand.

River’s Landing Edge, a 132-lot subdivision being built on 60.7 acres bordered by Interstate 65 and the Barren River, ran afoul of the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers nearly three years ago because of the development’s impact on the wetlands and floodplain that are part of the acreage.

Now, with the resulting fines and building delays behind him, developer Mark Williams is continuing the buildout of that original subdivision while planning an expansion.

After a lengthy hearing Thursday that included protests from neighboring residents concerned about further environmental issues, Williams won an approval from the City-County Planning Commission of Warren County that will likely lead to a second phase of the development.

The planning commission, in a 4-1 vote, approved the application made by Williams and property owners William and Kim Jenkins to rezone to single-family residential 31.5 acres adjacent to the original River’s Landing Edge development.

That rezoning, which still must go to the Bowling Green City Commission for final approval, is expected to lead to another 154 residential lots being developed in what Williams is calling “phase two” of River’s Landing Edge.

A second phase is needed, Williams said, because of the response to the entry-level homes he is building.

“We’ve sold every lot (in the first phase),” Williams said. “Most already have houses built on them. This (second phase) will be exactly the same.”

Williams’ development plan calls for houses of at least 1,100 square feet with one-car garages and concrete driveways.

The demand for such moderately priced houses is not in question, but some living near the proposed development raised concerns about the impact on the environment and on traffic in the area.

Eric Funkhouser, who lives on Anders Drive near the development, brought up the issue of the 2019 environmental violations.

“If the Army Corps of Engineers has already shut them down once, how can we trust them to do this right?” Funkhouser asked.

Another resident of the area, Jeff Olsen, brought up the impact on local roads resulting from the trucks that he said will be needed in order to bring in the fill dirt needed to get the site ready.

Chris Davenport, the attorney representing Williams, didn’t discount such concerns but said: “It’s my understanding that the complaints from 2019 were addressed.”

Matt Powell, environmental manager for the Bowling Green Public Works Department, said Friday that he has worked with Williams and the building contractors on the first phase of the River’s Landing Edge development for a couple of years to ensure compliance.

“The things that happened in phase one of the development were not criminal violations,” Powell said. “But there are rules for wetlands and floodplain areas. Not all the rules were followed when they did the first phase.”

Truckloads of fill dirt were brought in as part of the effort to rectify the erosion problems with phase one. Powell said the developer has also deployed what’s called a high-performance turf reinforcement mat to prevent further erosion.

At the conclusion of the hearing, India Unseld was the only commissioner to vote against the rezoning.

Environmental concerns weren’t at issue in a second rezoning application heard Thursday, but density of houses led to its defeat by a 3-2 vote anyway.

Property owners Richard and Belmarie Walton and developer Shapour Ejlal of Boulder Builders Group LLC applied to rezone to single-family residential 30.26 acres along Plum Springs Road near the Northridge subdivision in order to develop a 130-lot subdivision.

The application, originally for 147 houses, was tabled in December when concerns were raised about the high density of 4.86 dwelling units per acre.

Thursday’s revised application reduced that density to 4.3 and included 36 twinhomes instead of all single-family houses. The development plan called for houses of at least 1,200 square feet, 18-foot driveways and sidewalks on both sides of interior streets.

Davenport, representing Boulder Builders, pointed out that the property is designated for moderate-density residential on the planning commission’s Future Land Use Map that is used as a guide for development.

“Not only is this FLUM-compliant, it is in the bottom 10% of the moderate density range,” Davenport said. “This property was designated moderate density for a reason.”

As he did at the December meeting, commissioner Christiaan Volkert took issue with the development’s density compared with nearby residential areas. It is near McKinney Farms, which has a density of 2.77, and Northridge, which has a density of 2.04.

“I like the concept, but it’s too dense,” Volkert said. “It really should be between 85 and 90 houses.”

Volkert, Dean Warren and Unseld voted for a motion to deny the rezoning. Commissioners Rick Starks and Mary Vitale voted against that motion.

Davenport said his client will weigh options that include taking the application to Warren Fiscal Court for approval despite the denial by the planning commission.