Businesses that have grown up around the Ky. 101 interchange with Interstate 65 at Smiths Grove could soon have some company.

The City-County Planning Commission of Warren County on Thursday approved a Future Land Use Map Amendment for a 5.06-acre tract bordering on Ky. 101 (Main Street), Vincent Street and Interstate 65 that could pave the way for a Speedway convenience store and short-term truck stop. The property is across Main Street from a McDonald’s restaurant and the Crossroads IGA store.

The 10 commissioners present voted 9-1 – with Sandy Clark opposing – to approve the change in the property’s FLUM designation from highway commercial to light industrial. The commissioners will consider at their Oct. 18 meeting Speedway’s application to rezone the property from highway business to light industrial in order to permit development of a convenience store with automobile fueling and diesel fueling. Speedway has a contract to purchase the property from Marilyn Kemble and Billy Webb.

Rob Sweet, a planner for the Cincinnati-based consulting firm McBride Dale Clarion, presented on behalf of Enon, Ohio-based Speedway and said the company plans to build a 4,600-square-foot convenience store with a restaurant on the property. The plan also calls for seven double-sided fueling stations and a four-lane fueling area for diesel vehicles, along with 23 automobile parking spaces and 18 oversized parking spaces.

Sweet said Smiths Grove’s location between Louisville and Nashville makes it an ideal spot for the Speedway that he says will not be a full truck stop like the Exxon station that is located off the same exit.

“We won’t have showers, and we won’t do maintenance on the trucks,” he said. “We’ll have fueling, a restaurant and short-term parking.”

Despite that reassurance, some Smiths Grove residents voiced opposition to the development.

“I’m all for the convenience store,” John Bryce said. “But when you talk about bringing in more trucks, I’m not for that. We have plenty of trucks in Smiths Grove now.

We don’t need any more. It’s hard for us to get into Smiths Grove now, so adding more trucks concerns me.”

Bryce and others raised concerns about the adequacy of the 18-foot-wide Vincent Street, and Sweet responded by saying Speedway plans to widen part of the road to 35 feet and overlay the street with heavier pavement to accommodate truck traffic.

The development plan also calls for Speedway to build turning lanes at the intersection of Vincent and Main. It doesn’t, however, include a traffic light at that intersection.

“We petitioned for a traffic signal, but the (Kentucky) Transportation Cabinet said we didn’t have the traffic to warrant a signal,” Sweet said.

Sweet told the commissioners that the Speedway would employ 25 to 30 people and sell an estimated 450,000 gallons of fuel per month.

“It will be a great economic development tool,” he said.

Smiths Grove Mayor David Stiffey didn’t argue, saying: “We’ve been in support of this. I understand the traffic issues. We’ve been begging for a traffic light there. I hope this increases the traffic count enough to get a traffic light. I feel like this project will be an uplift for the area. It will help the tax base and employment.”

In other action Thursday, the commissioners approved an application by Michael and Louise Perry to rezone two acres at 2670 Bill Dedmon Road from agriculture to rural residential in order to subdivide the existing residence on the two acres and add the remaining portion of the property to an adjoining agricultural tract.