Bardstown council turns down zoning change for Cathedral Manor property
By JIM BROOKS
Nelson County Gazette
Councilmen Francis Lydian, left and Fred Hagan listen to discussion of a zoning request for a property on Cathedral Manor. Click image to enlarge.
Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2011, 8:45 p.m. — The Bardstown City Council unanimously voted down a zoning request for 303 Cathedral Manor to change from P-1 professional office to B1 neighborhood business district. The building houses Allen’s Movie Gallery, a movie rental business.
The council discussion mentioned the current use of the building did not fit with the current zoning, but questioned how appropriate the B1 zoning would be. The current P-1 zoning does not allow retail sales.
Francis Lydian said he opposed the change as it looked like “spot zoning” to him. “You need screening for B-1, from how I read it,” Lydian told the council.
Fred Hagan said he was concerned about future use of the property if it was zoned B-1, noting it was a mostly residential area.
The planning commission minutes focus on the use of the building that currently sits on the .31-acre tract, he said.
The Bardstown City Council voted down a zoning recommendation for this property at 303 Cathedral Manor. The zoning change requested was from P-1 professional office to B-1 general business district.
“I think its a flawed recommendation,” Hagan said. “If you look at the minutes, they keep talking about the building … zoning is a land-use discussion and they keep talking about the building. But what if the building burns down?
“I think we should reject this because it is a flawed recommendation,” he said.
The B-1 zoning was sought by its owner, Harold Wimsett and Wimsett Properties LLC.
Buckman said that Cathedral Manor is one of the main gateways into the city, and until the new comprehensive plan is completed, there will be some zonings that are inconsistent. “We have to make sure that if [the zoning] is changed that it is changed for the right reasons.”
After councilman Roland Williams made the motion to deny the zoning change, all six councilmen voted their approval of the motion.
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