Panel to review Glasgow zoning law; planning commission approves 3 items

BY MELINDA J. OVERSTREET
FOR GLASGOW NEWS 1
The chairman of the Joint City-County Planning Commission of Barren County appointed a committee Monday at the panel’s regular monthly meeting to review Glasgow’s zoning ordinance and recommend changes that may be needed to update or clarify the city law.
Tommy Gumm named Commissioners Candy Wethington, Eddie Atnip and Thomas Grubbs as the members, with Wethington to chair the group. One aspect expected to be under close examination is which types of zoning districts are appropriate for allowing short-term rentals – 30 or fewer days – such as Airbnb and Vrbo with or without conditional use permits. Such permits have been a significant topic in recent months for the Glasgow Board of Adjustment, the issuing authority for them, and the commission itself, as that property use has gained popularity.
This review committee, however, is tasked with considering the entirety of the ordinance for any potential amendments to the text.
The current version of the ordinance is on the city’s website and the planning commission site.
During Monday’s gathering, the commission approved an application for acceptance of three streets for the county to maintain and the preliminary and final subdivision plats of two applicants, with all members present and all votes unanimous, with a recusal by Commissioner Bobby Bunnell on the later of the plats.
– The streets the commission approved for acceptance are Annette Lane, Christopher Avenue and Jessica Avenue, with approximately 775 feet of the longest one, Annette, coming off Ky. 1297 (Old Bowling Green Road) and the other two, both of which are dead ends, connecting with Annette. In addition to maps showing the location of the roads, a letter from the Barren County Road Department was displayed for the commission by planning director Kevin Myatt as he discussed the application, with the letter specifying the desired rights of way and such. Improvements have been made in recent months to bring the road and/or right of way to the county standards, he said. The Barren County Fiscal Court still has to vote on accepting the streets before the county will actually take over responsibility for the maintenance of the roadways.
– The preliminary and final plat for 17 tracts in the Carol Boston subdivision, totaling approximately 242.33 acres, were approved, or a least the majority of it, because the rest is in Monroe County. A couple of the northernmost tracts front Rex Birge Road and the rest front Tom Word Road, Myatt said.
– The plat for Phillip Harp subdivision, which contains seven tracts totaling approximately 51.01 acres along Bishop Road, was also approved.