GLASGOW, Ky. — For the first time, Barren County leaders have expressed unanimous support for beginning the process of adopting a countywide zoning ordinance governing land use in the county’s unincorporated areas.

Magistrate Marty Kinslow asked his fellow magistrates Tuesday to begin the process of drafting the ordinance, which is expected to take several months. All six other magistrates agreed.

Under the motion approved Tuesday, the Joint City-County Planning Commission will begin developing zoning and land-use regulations for unincorporated Barren County.

“This is not passing zoning today,” Judge/Executive Jamie Byrd said. “This is just starting the process.”

Although county officials have discussed land-use regulations for decades, they have never adopted a countywide zoning ordinance. A 2024 public meeting hosted by county leaders and the Joint City-County Planning Commission ended without anyone speaking in favor of adopting one.

Former Barren County Fiscal Court Clerk Sherry Jones, who served from 1992 to 2023, said previous efforts to adopt land-use regulations also failed.

Interest in zoning has intensified in recent months following a proposed data center in Cave City, part of which would be built in unincorporated Barren County.

Several residents have urged the fiscal court to adopt a moratorium on data center development while zoning regulations are considered.

County Attorney Mike Richardson advised against that approach, saying it would likely fail in court because Barren County has no existing zoning or land-use ordinance to temporarily suspend.

Without an underlying regulatory framework already in place, Richardson said there is effectively nothing for a moratorium to pause.

The county has begun a series of town hall meetings to gather public input on the proposed ordinance. The first meeting, held July 14, gave magistrates an opportunity to hear residents’ concerns and gauge public sentiment.

Byrd appointed Kinslow and Magistrate Tim Coomer to serve on a committee overseeing the drafting process.

The Planning and Zoning Commission also voted Monday to hire Reese True and his company, The Kentucky Steward LLC, to help facilitate the effort. True helped author House Bill 937 during the 2026 legislative session.

As questions continue, Byrd says she is seeking answers about proposed data center

Byrd says she is working to better understand a proposed Cave City-area data center, including who is behind it and what it would involve.

BarrensideBrennan Crain

The bill would have created statewide standards for siting high-intensity technological infrastructure, including data centers, with requirements for public notice, community impact reviews and local approval processes.

The measure did not advance out of committee.

“The Planning Commission felt having an expert in that particular field would be a tremendous help for the regs and the rules that may be presented to this body,” Planning and Zoning Director Kevin Myatt told magistrates.

Myatt said the four town hall meetings are intended to gather public feedback before a draft ordinance is prepared. Three additional meetings are scheduled over the coming weeks.

“If that process gets done, and presented to you, it’ll be near the October meeting dates,” Myatt said.

The Planning and Zoning Commission also appointed Thomas Grubbs, Bobby Bunnell and Ricky Houchens to serve on the drafting committee alongside Kinslow and Coomer.

“Ultimately, the whole planning commission reviews this. It’s not just those three, but those three will be at every meeting,” Myatt said.

Byrd said she is considering adding citizen representatives to the committee but wants more time to determine the number of representatives and how they would be selected. She expects to provide an update at the fiscal court’s August meeting.

Once a draft is completed, it will be presented to the fiscal court and released for public review before a formal public hearing.

Myatt said he expects a preliminary “bare bones” draft could be available as early as August to give residents an idea of what the ordinance might include.

He emphasized the ordinance would address more than data centers.

“I know there’s been some discussion with regards to uses, some specific uses, but a zoning ordinance is not specific, and legally cannot be only one use or two uses,” Myatt said. “It has to deal with a multitude of uses equally and fairly under state statute.”

Glasgow, Cave City and Park City each have zoning ordinances that address roughly 100 different land uses, Myatt said.

“This document would go beyond just a few uses,” he said. “It would encompass quite a bit of uses that are prevalent, going on right now in our county and in our area. This is not a stagnant document.”

Myatt said zoning ordinances are routinely updated as new types of development emerge through text amendments.

“This is a breathing, living document,” he said. “It will be amended many, many times.”