STAFF REPORT
Glasgow News 1
Barren County officials are taking the countywide zoning debate on the road, with the second in a series of four town hall meetings scheduled for Tuesday, July 21, at Austin Tracy Elementary in southern Barren County.
The town halls are designed to let residents share their views on whether Barren County should adopt countywide zoning and to provide basic information on how zoning works.
The first meeting in the series was July 14 at Temple Hill Elementary.
Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd is expected to attend all four town halls, along with County Attorney Mike Richardson, Planning and Zoning Director Kevin Myatt and magistrates from across the county.
The push for public meetings comes on the heels of a controversial data center project being considered in Cave City.
A portion of the land for that project lies inside Barren County’s jurisdiction, which currently has no countywide zoning regulations that would govern or limit data center development, according to the county attorney.
Data centers are not the sole focus of the town halls, but public concern over the Cave City proposal helped spur the meetings. The broader goal is to help residents understand what zoning is, how it is used in other communities and what it might mean for Barren County’s future growth and development.
If countywide zoning is ultimately approved, it would apply to every parcel of land in Barren County, bringing the county in line with the roughly 46 of 120 Kentucky counties that already have county zoning.
According to county leaders, existing land uses would be grandfathered in under any new zoning plan, so current property owners would not have to change how they use their land unless they decide to make a change later.
For example, officials say a property owner who closes a business and then decides to build a duplex after zoning is adopted would likely need to seek a rezoning classification before making that change.
The county is considering four basic zoning classifications: residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural.
At the Austin Tracy meeting and the remaining town halls, residents will be able to ask questions, learn how those classifications might apply to their property and offer feedback that could shape any future zoning proposal.
Key Facts
– Second of four Barren County town halls on countywide zoning set for Tuesday, July 21, 2026, at Austin Tracy Elementary
– Meetings follow public outcry over a proposed data center project near Cave City
– Barren County currently has no countywide zoning regulations to address data centers
– Judge-Executive Jamie Bewley Byrd and other key officials are expected at all four meetings
– Countywide zoning, if adopted, would cover every parcel but would grandfather in existing land uses
– Residents can ask questions and learn how zoning could shape future growth and development
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