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GLASGOW, Ky. — Barren County’s proposed planning and zoning regulations are headed to a public hearing Oct. 19, as the Joint City-County Planning Commission moves forward with the county’s first zoning ordinance for unincorporated areas.

The Barren County Land-Use Committee has previously met to review a working draft prepared by planning and zoning staff. The committee includes five citizens, two magistrates and three Planning Commission members.

The proposed ordinance would establish 10 zoning districts and set rules for where different types of development could locate and what requirements they would have to meet. It includes provisions for residential, agricultural, business and industrial uses.

“This ordinance is intended to provide a balanced framework for managing growth, while preserving the county’s agricultural heritage, protecting private property rights, encouraging responsible economic development, and for the health, safety and welfare to the citizens,” Planning and Zoning Director Kevin Myatt said at an earlier meeting.

The Planning Commission will hold the public hearing at 7 p.m. Oct. 19 during its next regular meeting. Commissioners are expected to vote on whether to advance the regulations to the Barren County Fiscal Court.

If the commission approves the proposal, the Fiscal Court will consider adopting it. The ordinance would require two readings before it could become law.

Glasgow, Cave City and Park City already have zoning regulations. Unincorporated Barren County does not. The push for county zoning gained attention as residents raised concerns about data centers and called for a moratorium.

The proposed ordinance includes a separate section for high-intensity technological infrastructure, or HITI, which covers developments such as data centers and solar farms.

Under the draft, those developments would be allowed only as conditional uses in Heavy Industrial districts. Proposals would require review by the Board of Adjustment and the Planning Commission.

Residents who cannot attend the hearing can submit comments in several ways:

• Email: barrencountyplanning@gmail.com
• Mail: 200 S. Green St., Suite 201, Glasgow, KY 42141
• In person: Joint City-County Planning Commission Office, 200 S. Green St., or Barren County Fiscal Court, 117 N. Public Square, Suite 3A.

The Land-Use Committee will hold one more meeting before the hearing, scheduled for Oct. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Luska J. Twyman Municipal Building.

Members will review the proposed zoning ordinance and the land-use and future-use maps. View the proposed documents here.