A large housing development proposed along Smiths Grove’s Hedge Street has hit a deadlock; but that doesn’t mean it’s dead.

The City-County Planning Commission of Warren County on Thursday twice voted 2-2 on a rezoning application, failing to reach a decisive vote on a plan to develop a 76-acre, 265-lot subdivision on the west side of Hedge Street just outside Smiths Grove city limits.

The tie votes, though, don’t necessarily mean the property will never be developed. Near a 30-acre tract earmarked by the Warren County Board of Education for a future elementary school, the Hedge Street property could still go to Warren Fiscal Court for consideration. 

Originally proposed by Scottsville builder Anthony Lautieri, the plan to develop the large single-family subdivision in the small community met with opposition and was withdrawn from the planning commission agenda in May but picked back up by Gallatin, Tennessee-based developer Jeremy Riggs.

Riggs didn’t alter Lautieri’s plan to develop houses of at least 1,250 square feet and, predictably, a contingent of about 30 Smiths Grove residents turned up Thursday to oppose rezoning the property from agriculture to single-family residential.

Five of them, including Smiths Grove Mayor David Stiffey, spoke against the rezoning.

Although the proposed subdivision is outside city limits, Stiffey argued that his small municipality would be burdened by the increased traffic.

“We have tremendous concerns about the amount of traffic,” Stiffey said. “Hedge Street is wide enough for about one-and-a-half cars. It was great back in the horse-and-buggy days, but not now.”

Another Smiths Grove resident, Monica Wardlow, pleaded for a lower number of lots in the subdivision, which she and Stiffey said would have a bigger impact on traffic than the new Buc-ee’s megastore at the Interstate 65 exit 38 interchange.

“We chose to live in Smiths Grove because of the small-town feel,” Wardlow said. “I know growth is inevitable. It’s not that we’re against growth, but I think there’s a right way to grow.”

Tad Pardue, the attorney representing Riggs and his JRR Hedge Street Trust, argued that the development is right for Smiths Grove.

The development complies with the planning commission’s Future Land Use Map and Comprehensive Plan, Pardue said. And he pointed out that this type of residential development meets a pressing need in a fast-growing county.

“There’s a shortage of houses in this price range,” he said. “This development will fill part of that demand.”

Pardue also argued that the Kentucky Department of Education will require improvements to Hedge Street before the elementary school is ever built, possibly alleviating some of the concerns.

Debbie Richey, Smiths Grove’s representative on the planning commission, made the motion to deny the rezoning.

“I fully believe this is not compatible with our town,” Richey said.

She was joined by Amy Drane in voting to deny, but Tim Graham and Christiaan Volkert both voted against Richey’s motion and created the deadlock. Rick Starks, the other Warren County representative on the planning commission, could have cast a tie-breaking vote, but he was absent.

Volkert followed that vote by asking Riggs if he could reduce the number of homes in the development.

“If you don’t reduce the density, you don’t have a chance for approval tonight,” Volkert said.

After consulting with Riggs, Pardue said the developer would reduce the size to 230 homes, prompting a motion for approval by Graham.

The result was the same, with Richey and Drane voting against Graham’s motion.

Under new planning commission rules, approved rezonings aren’t heard by Warren Fiscal Court unless a county resident requests a hearing within 21 days of the planning commission approval.

In the case of a tie vote, said planning commission Attorney Hamp Moore, the rezoning could go to fiscal court with no recommendation.

“It may have to wait until someone requests that it be heard,” said Planning Commission Executive Director Ben Peterson.

Mayor Stiffey expects the development to be taken up by fiscal court.

“This (tie vote) is kinda what I expected,” Stiffey said. “My guess is that it will keep moving forward.”

Another controversial development – a campground and RV park along Plum Springs Road and Commerce Street – will be moving forward.

Proposed by property owner Montie Brown, the development is expected to include 33 RV sites, five cabins and an event center.

It met with opposition at a Future Land Use Map amendment hearing in May but was approved in a 5-4 vote.

Thursday, six Plum Springs-area residents spoke against the application to rezone the 15-acre site from light industrial, single-family residential and residential estate to highway business.

They argued that the land near Barren River should be preserved and that a campground would create traffic problems and erode property values.

“The traffic on Plum Springs Road is already a disaster,” said William Compton, a member of the Plum Springs City Council.

Despite the opposition, the rezoning passed 3-1, with Volkert, Graham and Drane voting in favor and Plum Springs representative Megan Ballinger voting against it.

Because part of the 15-acre site is within Plum Springs city limits and part is in the county, approval of the rezoning may not be simple.

The county portion can become final after 21 days, but Plum Springs never adopted the alternative zoning and must approve its portion of the property.

“The (planning commission) staff’s opinion is that it will go to both bodies for approval,” said Chris Davenport, the attorney representing Brown. “It’s a unique circumstance.”

Also approved at Thursday’s meeting:

•In a 6-0 vote, a rezoning from agriculture to single-family residential of 31 acres along Rich Pond-Rockfield Road near White Ash Street. The development plan of the Woodland Station Development LLC headed by Kyle Shirley calls for building 83 houses of at least 1,300 square feet.

•A rezoning of 8.28 acres at 8984 Scottsville Road from agriculture to office professional-residential and general business. The development plan of Marilynn Virginia Pruitt and partners calls for converting an existing residence on Wilson Road to an office and developing the portion of the site along Scottsville Road with a gas station and other uses.

The property near Split Tree Barbecue and the Drakes Ridge subdivision drew some opposition but passed with a 5-1 vote. Only Planning Commission Chairman Dean Warren voted against the rezoning.