Planning Commission - Regular Meeting

Heat. Hey. Hey. Heat. Heat.

Good evening. I'm going to open up this meeting of the Paduka Planning Commission for February the 12th. I would ask you to join me in standing for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you all. Mr. Summers, would you call the role, please? Commissioner Benberry, here. Mr. Chapman, here. Mr. Griffin, here. Commissioner Heath. Mr. Kaylor here. Mr. R here.

Mr. Wade here. This being our first meeting of the year, I'm going to turn it over to our corporate council uh Mr. Denton to uh run the election of officers for the coming year or should Josh be doing that? I hate to take the honor away from Josh. You go right ahead. Okay. Mr. Summers, would you please have that honor? Thank you, Mr. Wade. Uh, do I hear a motion or do I hear any nominations for chair for 2026? Nominate Mr. Wade for chair 2026. Second. Second. I'll move the nominations to close. Chair.

All right. With nominations being closed, do I hear a motion to elect Mr. Wade by acclamation? So move. Yes. Second. Second. All in favor? I I I I. Thank you for all your all's confidence. Gladly honored. Uh now we need to select a vice chair person and would open the floor for nominations of that position.

I'll nominate Joe Benberry. Second. Second. Are there any other names to place in the nomination? Do I hear a motion to accept Mr. Benberry by acclamation? Fill that role. I'll make that motion. Second. Moved and seconded. All in favor say I. I. Any opposed by like sign. All right. Uh the minutes motion. And Commissioner Kaylor, I believe you have that for us from the November 3rd meeting.

I move that the reading of the minutes for November 3rd, 2025 be waved and that the minutes of said meeting as prepared by staff be approved as written. Second. Moved and seconded. Have you all had a chance to review the minutes from that meeting? And are there any additions, deletions, or corrections there, too? None. All right, Mr. Summers, would you call the role on that, please? Commissioner Kaylor. Yes. Commissioner Benberry. I Yay. Yes. Commissioner Chapman. Yes. Commissioner Griffin. Yes. Commissioner Rhodess.

Yes. Chairman Wade. Yes.

All right. We have no continuing petitions. We do have a new petition relating to 1501 Broadway. Mr. Summers, would you give us the staff report on that, please? Thank you, Mr. Chairman. This is a preliminary subdivision plat site at 1501 Broadway. This is a preliminary subdivision of 12 single family residential lots. The proposed price point for each house will be about $400,000 and included with that is some renderings in front of you all. Uh this particular site is zoned half R1 lowdensity residential zone and half B3 general business zone. The development agreement that we have has a smaller lots for the R1 section which is 50 ft of frontage and um 9,000 plus square foot lots and that is due to KRS 361 subsection 2 which states in partnap shall impair the sovereignty of the Commonwealth of Kentucky over its political subdivisions. Any proposal affecting land use by any department, commission, board, authority, agency, or instrumentality of state government shall not require approval of the local planning unit. However, adequate information concerning the proposal shall be furnished to the planning commission by the department, commission, board, agency, authority, or instrumentality of state government. So lots 1 through 3 and 10 through 12 are in the B3 zone and the performance standards for single family lots are 8,000 square feet and 50 foot 50 foot of frontage. So those six lots meet those standards. All proposed homes are shown to face inward to the center of the

property. A central feature such as a pavilion or fire pit is proposed in the center of the subdivision for all the residents to use and enjoy. There is proposed to be uh two 50-foot ingress egress easements uh on either side that will uh serve the homes from the rear with garages is my understanding. And the only immediate change staff may request is a storm water easement. That's conversations that we've had with engineering, but we won't know that until we actually get the construction plans and see which way the storm water is going to flow. So with that, Mr. Chairman, I will turn it back over to you for the public hearings.

All right. Thank you, Commissioner Chapman. I believe you have motion for the public hearing. Um, yes. I, Commissioner Jim Chapman of the Ponuka Planning Commission, offer the following motion. I move that this board open the public hearing for case PLT 2026-00001 pertaining to 1501 Broadway. Second. Moved and seconded. Any discussion? If we'll just do a voice vote on that. All in favor say I. I.

Any opposed? All right. We are in public hearing for this petition. If anyone has any comments, positively or negatively, we would ask for you to come to the podium, identify yourself, and limit yourself to a reasonable amount of time. Um, sorry, I'm really nervous. My name is Ian Mccomomas. Um, I live basically directly in front of the Cater John. Um, I am also here with along with my neighbors. Uh, the proposed plans. Um, I think I I would really like to say I think it's great that we're putting in 12 single family homes. I think it's going to be very beneficial to the community. Um, however, the current designs do not fit the aesthetics of the neighborhood. Um, and I think it would be more of an eyesore. Uh, coming down Jefferson, we take a lot of pride in our homes on Jefferson. Um, it's a very, uh, communal place. Um we have a lot of um events that the city puts on throughout the year um that line up on Jefferson that also go through Broadway. So my biggest concern is the proposed plans with how the homes are going to be set up like I said a moment ago is that it's not going to be uh kind of like universal or fit into the neighborhood. So, I would definitely urge um to kind of look at those design plans and and maybe come together with either the community and more people on Jefferson to look at them because I live right there and I just got this letter and I there were no proposed plans or anything like that and and I think that it's

going to be more of an eyesore to be looking at the back of people's homes versus looking at the front of their homes facing either Broadway or Jefferson. So, that would be my biggest thing is to make sure that the homes can face forward so that way it's a lot more uniform with the rest of the entire street. And that ends my concern. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I'm Richard Taylor. I live at 1501 Jefferson, straight across from the Ker John lot. And to my knowledge, we haven't seen any plans. So, he mentioned something about plans. Uh, the readings said something about the back of the houses. We haven't seen those plans. Are those going to be shown to us? The plats and everything. Right there. Okay. These are these are conceptual ones that we've been provided. Can we not see those? Oh, I it's public record, so Okay.

But they are conceptual. Doesn't mean this is how they're actually going to be. in but but anyway so they're conceptual but I agree with Ian that that we would prefer the houses face Jefferson we don't want to see the back of houses uh it seems to me like a normal a normal street has houses facing a major street of course uh and I don't know I'm not understanding why it's that way why they're not facing the street and I I assumed that tw uh six houses would be facing Jefferson and six houses would be facing Broadway and an alley between and and the and the lots perhaps uh they can go in from the back or the or the front depending on how they're they're set up. Uh I do have another question. Um would these houses be uh all built by the same builder? Is that

it's my understanding? And so would that same builder uh spec several at a time? I mean build several a time or one at a time as he has opportunity. Do you know how process? There is a time frame that he has to complete the project in. So it's not like he'll get one started, finished, wait a year, do another. It'll be move on down the line. Okay. And um will these houses all look the same? No, they'll be different. There is some conceptual renderings up there and uh as Chairman Wade mentioned that is just conceptual at this time and the price points about $400,000 per house.

Okay. Uh can we pass this around to Sure. Okay. So there there's a second copy if you'd like to have two of them going around. Okay. I can address some of some of these questions at the end. I'll be glad to. We'll start these on this side. We apologize that we don't have the overheads working tonight.

Okay. All right. Uh Okay. So, that that's good to see these plans. And I guess the big question would be why are they facing inward and not the street? You know, all all of the houses along Jefferson face the street. And that would be our biggest my biggest concern at this point. A very valid question. I just want to make sure this group's is only to approve for now preliminary approval to a concept. Okay. We can't answer those questions because we're not actually the ones doing the project. All right. So, but we certainly would pass into the project.

Uh I wouldn't say that. Well, we we they tell us what they want to do and if it's the concept is correct, then this group either either lets lets it proceed or stops. They have an opportunity. Yes. Okay. All right. That's fine. I just want to make sure that it's a difficult how the process works, but government is complicated, but it does work. Good to understand the process. Thank you. Yes, ma'am. Hi, I'm Mayinsky. I live in 1419 and we owe own 1435 on the corner as well. Oh, one street. So, directly I own two houses that face and what was your last name again? Pulchinsky. Okay.

Um, we're excited about we think it's going to look awesome. We're I'm happy about the price point. Like, I think it's going to be a great addition. I can understand why they're doing that. So, it has a more communal feel to have like the fire pit in the middle and the house uh houses facing each other. But I agree with everyone else. It'd be a lot cooler if they turned them towards the roads so that it looks more like the neighborhood and not like just a little subdivision inside our neighborhood. That's my That's my only concern. You know, we're hoping that it doesn't drag out forever and there's construction noise and stuff because there are elderly people on the block and stuff like that. But otherwise, we're excited. I think it's going to be cool use of it. So, yeah. Thank you.

Anyone else? Director, would you like to

I I think I can address some of these concerns and probably alleviate them. Um, I've been running point for the city on behalf of the development agreement and the developer. Um, as you all know, there was a request for proposals put out um for Cater John and we only received two. one of them came in and quite frankly um it it just wasn't a good fit for the neighborhood at all. So, we negotiated with this um developer and at the end of the day, and his surveyor can speak to this, but at the end of the day, the reason they're facing inward is it's only three acres and there is not enough um acreage to spread them out because that was our first concern as well, but it became a matter of economics. And you have two builders up here that I'm familiar with that I think you all can understand what he he laid them out that way to to make the numbers work at the bottom. At the end of the day, that's really what it was about was making the numbers work. Um the developer is a well-known developer here in the community. Um he has a track record. He's probably been building for over 40 years and has um some of the homes already sold. On the exterior there will run um I I guess uh brick pilings with metal fences so it will be secured around that area and it will help the aesthetic. But um it was a matter of economics is why they ran them interior. It it it doesn't have to be that way but as you all know that's I mean when you do a development if they can't make the numbers run then they just don't it doesn't do it. So that's that's really why we had the same concerns. We were concerned about that and at the end of the day that's that's what happened.

Not being redesigned where they're not as wide. I see most of these look fairly wide and our houses on Jefferson are fairly narrow. We we can certainly go back to the developer and ask that question. We have not inked a deal by any stretch. So we can go back and ask that question. Um it's pretty close, I would say. Uh but it has to go to the commission for final approval. So um we can ask that question, but I do know that that people have been um I mean he has other places that he could put them as well. So,

well back and and I would say that if you're worried about like the economics and things like that whenever it comes down to to this project and you know I think like I understand these are concepts of homes and things like that but it's like

you're worried about like the size, make them two stories. They'll fit in more with the neighborhood and especially right there in that area because all of us have twotory brick homes and then once the cat ends, that's when we go into the smaller single families. But also on the other side, you're still looking at multi-level homes down for blocks. And so having these weird weird designs of block plans based on what developer things like if if they've been a part of the community then they should understand the importance of our community and say my design doesn't work let's work with the community let's make everybody happy because like at the end of the day like we want to be proud of our homes

I understand absolutely

like and we want to be continue to be proud of our neighborhood but you know like with all of the same like we don't want to look at homes and if you're worried about the way they look just make it look like the rest of the neighborhood And if you're already starting at a $400,000 price, make them a twotory, sell them for five or six. Like that's like like at the same time, you know, I may not make sense to see you laughing up there, but you know, it's like like I just don't understand why it's going to stick out like I'm not trying to I don't think anyone I can't speak for anybody but myself, but I think these are Okay, I appreciate your comments. I ask anybody else or yourself if you want to talk more. We need you to come to the microphone,

please. I think that's okay. We um as always, we'll take the public comments back and and work through that. Um that's one reason I want to get it on the microphone so they can refer back to the Right. Yes, they do. Um I know Mr. Summers is over here scribbling furiously. furiously so much and I think I think we understand where your your position and where you're coming from. Um I I have no guarantees at the end of the day it's a private development. So at it would determine whether the commission chooses to enter into that negotiation or not. I'm just kind of the person carrying the water today.

Yeah. We very much appreciate your absolutely we do. Yes. Yes. My name is Thomas Blakeley. I live right across the street from it and I have the same on Jefferson right AC right across from it. And I have the same concerns as all of that. But uh maybe cut it from 12 houses to 10 houses. narrow it up some. And the city does own the property, right? Yes. Yes.

So, I mean, you know, you'all have some input in on it, but I'm another one that don't want to look at the back of the houses. Thank you. Thank you. Get my notes in here. Anyone else? Okay,

I apologize. My name is Ian Mccomomas again. Um, I do have a question. So, if the city owns the lot and you said it was a private developer, um, can you explain how that works? Um and and I guess what I mean by that is Mike um had mentioned or the previous gentleman mentioned, you know, maybe cutting it down. So if the city owns the lot and it's a private thing or it's a private developer, are we not able to file an injunction on said plans or or anything like that? I I I don't know. So I'm asking a genuine question. Have at it.

You're correct. Uh, one, the city currently owns the property, so the city is the owner here today before trying to make these changes. Two, uh, the plan that is before you today is preliminary, not final. Uh, three, um, yes, there is a private developer that would like to do the deal. A development agreement has been drafted, but it has not been signed. Okay. And that would have to be approved by the city commission. Okay. Perfect. Thank you so much. You're welcome. Very good questions and comments. Thank you all. Anyone else?

So, my name is Lara Beth EC and my I have Patrick Furniture of Paduka that's directly across the street on 1428 Broadway Street. Um, my question would be like what do the renderings of the backs of the houses look like? because like maybe you know like I've seen a lot of I don't know if you call them patio homes but like sometimes the backs of the homes look nice so I you know like I don't know like you know maybe the backs of the homes have we requested a green screen as

Glenn was trying to be professional but as Glenn just stated and You can you can repeat what I'm saying record but so everyone can hear but we have requested that it's something to be negotiated through but on both sides of the alleys we requested that or green screens plantings or something kind of plantings as a barrier wall that as a barrier wall to help some of that but

I mean I'm excited about this coming I think it's uh great um thing that they're bringing. It is It did take me off. I will say I was surprised that they're wanting to face it towards the backs of the houses towards the street because it just does seem odd to me because you want to see the beauty of the front of the home. I mean, I understand economically for them,

you know, that space-wise and everything, but I think it I mean, is if they could maybe make the backs of the houses look like fronts of houses, I don't know. I'm I'm trying to play devil's advocate right here, as if you couldn't tell. But I I mean, I'm super excited about it coming. I think it's going to be great. Um because I feel like, you know, our store um is kind of like it's a great I love Midtown and it's just great. We're bringing people in and but then I feel like once the Katar John building went down it's like oh gosh we're like all by ourselves over here and I'm really excited that they're going to be doing something with it and that this is positive but that is a little concerning you know that the it's the backs of the houses. I mean, I'm not gonna

Yeah. lie, but I mean, hopefully they can make it look good. And I don't know. Can Thank you. Maybe I'm wrong. And I would really talk about the side of the house. Yeah. Yeah. Commissioner Road, you are correct. And I think there may be some confusion that the backs of the houses will not be facing Jefferson or Broadway. It will be the side. That's the picture of that one. The picture of the one shows the garage facing the street. You got to turn it the other way. Are these not the main streets this way? No. No. Those are the alleys. The alleys. Yeah.

The alleys. Broadway is down here. Jefferson is up here. These are between the two. Okay. Those are the alleys. Broadway.

Yeah, we'll do it. Okay. All right. Let's get it back. You had a comment. Hi, I'm Sue Tharp and I'm with I live on Jefferson Street, but not in this area. I live up farther. Um, but I was just wondering, you know, Jefferson Street has a lot of wonderful um things that we do. We have the Dogwood Trail. We have the Christmas lighted Christmas trail. And if it's going to be the backs of their houses, how are they going to participate? Are they going to put dog woods in their backyard? I guess they could, but um you know, we just uh I think the houses could should be turned around also. I really do. Thank you. Yes, sir.

Kyle Joiner. I'm with Penelook Engineering Land Serveying. Um so we did the preliminary layout. uh the developer did approach us and and kind of had this in mind. So if you think about the Cage John site, it's not a perfect square. It's kind of irregular. So with those shapes trying to fit it in there, um this this layout tended to work a little bit better. There was also some utility and storm water uh infrastructure uh that we're trying to work with and deal with. Also too, if you're coming down Broadway, it's a business zoning, so there's less entrances. Whereas Jefferson, there are it's residential, so there's ton of entrances. So access to the site and stuff, trying to balance that, that that was another concern. So that's how we landed with this today. Um so um and and as you know for for 12 lots it's a lot of lot of utility infrastructure and storm water to take care of underground in a tight space. So um that that's to to get you where we got to today. So also happy to answer any other questions as far as We want to avoid conversations like that out there. We need it to be directed to the the planning commission for us to to uh take your comments in. These comments will be taken in front of us as well as when we make whatever the recommendation is to the city commission, they will get a copy of your comments as well in part of that. So, let's let's do things

through the podium. So, yes, sir, please step back to the podium. Uh again, Richard Taylor from 1501 Jefferson. Uh my main question is is the part that's zoned commercial going to be reszoned to residential? That's really my only question. No, it will not. Why not?

Because we allow residential in commercial. Now, the way that our zoning works here in the city of Paduka is everything that you can do in residential, you can do in commercial, and everything in commercial you can do in in industrial. And it basically builds like a pyramid. It's not like some cities when you have a commercial zone you can only do just commercial or only do just industrial. With us here, you can do like it's stairstepped and so that's why so you don't have to reszone it

but there's nothing in the I mean all of this would be considered the same zone. So in other words, you don't have to do it a certain way. I understood from him that maybe part of it was because part of it was zoned commercial that they they came up with this design. As far as the entrances, that's what Mr. Joiner was referring to. Okay. So therefore, if it was reszone commercial, I mean residential, the whole thing, then maybe the entrances could be done differently.

I I'm not sure that would make a difference. And the reason I say that is because on that rendering here, um, since the lot is is three acres, but on either side, one is pretty perpendicular between the streets and the other has that weird angle to it.

In order to make that work, um, you have to offset those ingress egress easements to run between Broadway and Jefferson on the outside. So, to my knowledge, and Mr. Joiner can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm not sure that there's a different way to place that. Um, Kyle, unless you want to speak to that, because I believe that's what you was referring to is actual commercial type bill having more entrances as opposed to residential and just a few driveway cur curb cuts. Yeah.

Yep. Sorry. Uh, as far as the the entrances I was referring to, it would be you're have two access points on Broadway with this layout and you would have, you know, however many if they're facing Broadway. So, it would it wouldn't double, it would triple or quadruple. So, and if I can add on to that, what we would expect is that if there is any other curb cuts through there, we would expect those to go away as it's redeveloped. That way, you've got a continuous piece of uh sidewalk or green space, whatever it may be, with just the two to get in and out of the property instead of leaving curb cuts as they are now. We would expect that to be cleaned up. As far as with carbon gutter,

I might ask another question on the curb cuts and everything. Several of our houses on Jefferson don't have a driveway into the house. It's from the back. Mhm.

And so therefore, you wouldn't have to if if you if all the houses faced Broadway and Jefferson and you had the alley behind for them to get into the garage, then you don't have to have any curb cuts and everybody, you know, you you park around behind your house. Uh and that would solve that problem, I think. Uh so that's I would say that's something to consider that uh all the houses don't have driveways except from the back of the house in the in the in the uh alleys in between. So, that would be something to you wouldn't have to have any curb cuts is what I'm saying except for the two alleys on the side.

Well, that's included in the comments. Thank you very much. Anyone else? Not right here. Going going. Oh, okay. I was going to say I did I'll double check. I don't believe there is a back alley across there uh on any of the plats. So I think that was another consideration of um being able to get access to the back, but we we will double check that.

I'm Bonnie Martin. and I live at 1744 Jefferson and we built a home about 10 years ago and uh of course I'm sure the developers are very well aware of the term unstable soil so they're probably going to encounter a lot there. It took us 2 years to get a home uh built on. Well, that was a nightmare getting the the soils stable enough to build on. But front porches, I think, are very important in this type of neighborhood we live in. uh we've met so many people and become so we moved from Lion County and we met our neighbors and also became friends with people by sitting on our front porches and I agree that the houses should also face the streets. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Uh Ian Mccomomas 1415 Jefferson. Last comment that I do want to make um on said proposed plan um on like I I can see it over there by Mr. Chapman. Um and I think this gentleman was right. There is not an entrance for what could be a particular alleyway on the Broadway side, but there is on Jefferson. So my concern is or my thing is like why couldn't we knock down an easement and just make next to the women's club because that's where the pull in is for the Cater John. So, make that the main access for Jefferson. And then they like uh the other gentleman said, you know, everybody pulls into there, but just like knock out that easement and then just make one alleyway that will have like kind of like the side of that entrance next to the women's club going to from Jefferson to Broadway. Just make that one major alleyway and then so that way they can come in from both sides and then just get into the backs of the houses. Once again, having the homes facing front and then everybody uses that back area instead of having like a condo, swimming pool or whatever, a fire pit or whatever. Everyone just uses that common space as how you get into your home to keep the aesthetics of the neighborhood.

Okay. Thank you. Thank you. And I'm so sorry to keep coming up. I'm not That's what this is for. I'm so sorry. You all are stakeholders in this and we appreciate your comments. Anyone else? Absent any other motions movement. I'm going to ask Mr. Chapman Commissioner Chapman to present a motion. All right. I Commissioner Jim Chapman of Puk of the Paduka Planning Commission offer the following motion. No, I believe we need to close the public hearing first. That's what he's doing. Oh, I'm sorry. I apologize. I move that this board close the public hearing for case PLT 2026-1 pertaining to 1501 Broadway. Second.

Moved and seconded. We'll do a voice vote. All in favor say I. Any opposed? All right, that hearing is closed. Uh, Commissioner Benberry, I believe you have a motion. I move that the preliminary subdivision plat for 1501 Broadway be approved and that the matter be continue continued generally pending submission of a final flat incorporating all requirements made known to the petitioner at the conclusion of this hearing. Second

moved and seconded. So you all would understand what we just did with this motion. It is just moving forward. It is not final. It's moving it forward. So now the city proper city departments can uh proceed on developing the development and that will incorporate the comments if possible what you said and then from there uh it would go on to the city commission the the agreement would the if there is a revision to that um correct

if they can come to an agreement on that it would go on to the city commission they will get your comments through this uh u proceeding as well as you're always invited to appear in front of the city commission as well. Did I say that properly? Absolutely. We heard that. Okay. So, this meeting committee won't meet again about this.

Not necessarily. If if it if what comes out in the development is within the overall umbrella of what's already been pres uh proposed. If it this goes away and it starts all over again, yes, there's a chance that it comes back to this commission before before it moves on then. Is that correct? Okay. All right. We have a a motion with a second. Any discussion from our uh commission body? Any questions?

Well, I've I've sat here and listened to everyone and I certainly understand uh each person's concern. And I've heard a lot of the comments about, you know, you're going to have the back side of the house. I might have to look at the back of the house. Well, the Katar John building was beautiful. From the front. Good point. From the back, it was not pretty.

I mean, that's just what I'm gleaning from what I've heard. So, I certainly think there's things that things from your input that they can take and work with it and bring something back that we can all be proud of. Anyway,

thank you. I think it's great that someone's investing $4 million or more into the neighborhood and with a trusted developer, I think um it will work out to where as Commissioner Kegler said and we'll be proud of it. But we do hear you concerns. All right, Summers, would you call the role, please? The motion at hand. Commissioner Benberry. I. Commissioner Chapman. I. Commissioner Griffin. I. Commissioner Kaylor. I. Commissioner Rhodess. I. Chairman Wade.

I All right. Uh, I do not have any other business on our agenda. Anything else to discuss? All right. Our next meeting will be is scheduled for March the 2nd and same time and same place. Uh we will hopefully start more on time next that this was a called meeting therefore we had substantial comments. Thank you all for your efforts to attend and contribute and uh with that we stand a journ. All right.