Planning director speaks about anticipated regional growth, potential impacts on Barren County

BY MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
GLASGOW NEWS 1
Members of the Cave City Chamber of Commerce had the opportunity Tuesday to learn more about some of the work being done around the county in terms of planning and economic development.
Kevin Myatt, planning director for the Joint City-County Planning Commission of Barren County, and Maureen Carpenter, president and CEO of Barren Inc., were the guest speakers for the chamber’s quarterly luncheon at the Cave City Convention Center, with roughly 50 people in attendance. Each highlighted what their respective organizations do in general and specific items on their horizons.
Carpenter’s message is reported separately at this link.
After Carpenter’s introduction of him, Myatt semijoked that at least this group of people had applauded for him as he took the podium, because planning and zoning personnel in some places don’t always get a warm welcome. He pointed out that Cave City does have zoning ordinance in effect within the city limits. Barren County also has subdivision regulations.
Myatt said the planning commission serves as a legislative body for the relevant matters for all the local governmental bodies in the county – Barren County Fiscal Court, Glasgow and Cave City councils and the Park City commission. The commission has representatives appointed by each of them – five for the county, five from Glasgow, two from Cave City and one from Park City, with those numbers population based.
The commission and its staff have compiled what is known as a comprehensive plan for development, and it must be updated every five years – with this being one of those years. It’s a resource filled with “a ton of information” on subjects from soil type to transportation infrastructure and workforce numbers that can be used to inform many types of decisions, he said.
“It tells you exactly what you’re good at and exactly what you’re bad at, what you need to do better at, what you need to bring up, what are you doing OK at that you want to extend. Those things are available in the book,” Myatt said. “But that book is just a guide for you.”
He said it can be a particularly valuable resource for those who apply for grants and need data to illustrate needs.
“It’s not a blueprint; it’s not going to tell you – it’s not a gospel of – exactly what’s going to happen. It’s just a guide for the area. It’s usually a 10-year projection. We don’t like to go further than 10 years, because a lot can happen in a decade,” Myatt said.
As this year progresses, the commission will offer multiple opportunities for public input.
Zoning ordinances and maps, subdivision regulations, the current comprehensive plan and other such documents, as well as agendas for upcoming commission meetings and minutes from previous ones are available at the planning commission’s website.
He said the growth transpiring in this region – the corridor from Glendale to the Tennessee state line – all impacts this area right here, he said.
“We’re lucky to have an interstate where it’s located,” he said, adding that the average daily traffic count runs at 60,000 to 80,000. “It’s only going to grow.”
Myatt said he is the Region 5 representative for the Kentucky chapter of the American Planning Association. The region encompasses 18 counties, and he is routinely in contact with the planning staffs from those locations.
One of the things they have to consider is that, if a new industrial development along that corridor is going to bring 8,000 employees, it’s not just going to bring them. For example, half of those may have a significant other or spouse, so that’s another 4,000. Of those, half may have two children, so that’s another 4,000.
“So now, all of a sudden, you’re talking about 16,000 people here,” Myatt said. “So how does that impact us? Where are those 4,000 kids going to go to school? How are the school buses going to make those routes? Those are things that we have to look at as a regional or as a big impact for our area. We can’t just plan on a few thousand people being hired. We have to look at the entire model there as well.”
He said utilities are another factor and the ones here work together well and look at the trends and try to be prepared as well as they can be. Ky. 90 between Cave City and Glasgow, improvements to which have been discussed for several years, has been moved up considerably on the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s plan, with the design phase happening now, Myatt said.
“Why is that? Because … they see the growth that’s happening on [I-]65, and they know that this area right here is going to be prime for growth,” he said. “Barren County, with the planning commission, what we see is a lot of residential growth, and what happens once you get a lot of residential growth [is] then the commercial businesses come, then the factories come.”
Then road systems have to be widened and utility companies and school systems need to be prepared, etc., he said.
What Myatt said he calls the “holy trinity of utilities – what we need to have for growth” are available in this vicinity – water/sewer, electricity and broadband, with ever-increasing demand for the last with more people working or studying from home.
“I don’t know how to stress it any more to you, growth’s coming. You can either be prepared for it or not,” he said. “We always try to plan ahead, because if you’re not planning ahead, you’re planning to fall behind, and that’s what’s going to happen.”
So, the planning commission has to be ready for these possibilities, he said.
“This area is a fantastic area. I’ve lived here my entire life. I would never live anywhere else. Lord willing, I’ll stay here and this is where I’ll probably be buried, and that’s perfectly fine. It’s a great spot,” Myatt said as he began to close. “We have wonderful leaders in place. They’re doing everything they can possibly do to help you.”
He said they are trying to be proactive rather than reactive.
The growth patterns planners are seeing is that higher housing costs in some nearby locations are driving people to find more affordable housing and lower tax rates and perhaps a little more of a rural setting and slower pace but near enough to the larger city, and Myatt said this is a great place to raise children.