Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 115, No. 13	March 26, 2008

Comprehensive plan goes back to Fiscal Court

By SANDRA STONE
Messenger Staff

A motion to adopt a resolution striking from the Meade County Comprehensive Plan language accommodating Fort Knox failed on a tie vote during the March 20 meeting of the Meade County Planning and Zoning Commission.

The provisions in question included:

• discouraging high-density development, particularly residential, in an area within one mile of Meade County’s boundary;

• a Fort Knox buffer on the future land use map and legend;

• creating an overlay zone for the land within one mile of the reservation to minimize conflicts between property owners and Fort Knox; and

• requiring developers and prospective buyers and sellers within one and one-half miles of the reservation to acknowledge in writing their awareness of the potential for impacts associated with current and future operations at the base.

Peter Hill, chief, Military Law and Ethics Division, addressed the commission and public on behalf of Fort Knox, reiterating points made in a March 19 letter to the commission and entered into the record of the meeting.

“Some of the disagreements have been overstated,” said Hill. “Competing interests have been portrayed as absolutes.” Fort Knox wishes to encourage compatible uses, discourage incompatible uses such as high-density residential development, and require written notice of a property’s proximity to Fort Knox, continued Hill. “If you think disclosure is good public policy, leave this or similar language in the plan.”

Hill went on to explain the comprehensive plan without such language would be in violation of KRS 100.187 which requires abutting counties to accommodate military installations to minimize conflicts between the military installation and the residential population.

All members of Fiscal Court, except Judge Executive Harry Craycroft, were in attendance.

Magistrate Tom Goddard stated he felt the disconnect was in the use of words like discourage and don’t promote. “You give the impression you’re holding down land values,” he said. “If we accept the plan, the $165,000 house in that area is not as valuable.”

Magistrate Tony Staples advised he had contacted the Department for Local Government and had been told the county definitely needs to accommodate Fort Knox. “If Meade County does not accommodate Fort Knox, we’re breaking the law.”

Questions and comments continued with several themes emerging, among them decreased property values and the restrictive nature of requiring written disclosure on deeds and the limiting of the property in the area to a particular zone.

“There’s no interest on the Planning and Zoning Commission to devalue your property,” said Mark Garverich. “We don’t have an agenda.”

“We just made a reading to amend the comprehensive plan not to have a buffer,” said Cheryl Gibson, commission chair. “This does not mean your property cannot be R-1” (site-built residential).

Following numerous questions, answers and more questions, Allen Flaherty made a motion to approve the resolution which strikes the accommodating language from the comprehensive plan. For nearly a minute, all were silent, and it appeared the motion would die for lack of a second. Mark Garverich eventually seconded. Sonja Redmon requested a roll call vote. Voting yes were Garverich, Flaherty and Gibson. Voting no were Redmon, Larry Sechrist and Mildred Brown. Faye

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