Proposed senior housing site set for Glasgow City Council review

The approximately 2.94-acre property at 318 W. Washington St. is owned by the Barren County Fiscal Court and contains the former Barren County Health Department and historic Howard Clinic building.

Proposed senior housing site set for Glasgow City Council review
The 2.94-acre property at 318 W. Washington St. is the proposed site of the Highland Heights senior housing development. The property was formerly home to the Barren County Health Department and the Howard Clinic. (Brennan Crain/Barrenside)

GLASGOW, Ky. — The Glasgow City Council is set to consider a zoning change for a West Washington Street property at the center of a lawsuit challenging a proposed 75-unit senior housing development.

The approximately 2.94-acre property at 318 W. Washington St. is owned by the Barren County Fiscal Court and contains the former Barren County Health Department and historic Howard Clinic building.

Facing demolition, a piece of Glasgow history finds two unlikely advocates
Josh and Terryn Francis have become prominent opponents of a proposed senior housing development that would involve demolishing the former Howard Clinic in Glasgow’s Southwest Residential Historic District.

At its Oct. 12 meeting, the council is scheduled to consider an ordinance rezoning the property from R-2 (Medium Density Residential) and OP (Office and Professional) to R-4 (Medium Density Multifamily Residential), a classification that allows apartment buildings and other multifamily housing.

The Fiscal Court has agreed to allow the Glasgow Housing Authority to work with Wabuck Development to pursue funding for the project. If funded and built, the development would replace the former health department building with a three-story structure containing 75 one-bedroom apartments for seniors.

Housing Authority says proposed 75-unit development could fill immediately
If funded and constructed, Highland Heights would replace the former Barren County Health Department building with 75 affordable apartments for elderly households.

The Joint City-County Planning Commission unanimously approved the rezoning request Aug. 17. Six residents subsequently appealed the decision in Barren Circuit Court, arguing the commission failed to meet Kentucky's legal requirements for approving the zoning change.

The lawsuit raises concerns about the proposed development's size, traffic, infrastructure and compatibility with the surrounding historic neighborhood.

Under Kentucky law, the Planning Commission's recommendation becomes final unless a majority of the entire City Council votes to override it. The council's consideration of the rezoning ordinance must follow that statutory process.

The council is scheduled to consider the ordinance on first reading Oct. 12. If it advances, the council could hold a second reading at its Oct. 26 meeting.

Meetings begin at 6 p.m. inside the Luska J. Twyman Municipal Building.


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