As you watch the Fiscal Court refuse to forward the text amendment request from Buffalo Trace to the P&Z Commission; the P&Z Commission refuse to rezone the Duncan Road property; and the Comprehensive Plan update progress, it is crucial that you know these important FACTS about the Comprehensive Plan, the Future Land Use Map and the local Zoning Ordinance.
The comprehensive plan is a document that expresses intent, is not enforceable and is not law.
The Future Land Use Map depicts the planned, future land use; is part of the comprehensive plan, is unenforceable and is not law.
A zoning ordinance is a law that has penalties and consequences if ignored.
Existing ordinances in Franklin County allow a zone change if it is in agreement with the Comprehensive Plan OR there have been major economic or physical changes within the area.
Since last updated in 2016, Versailles Road and the entrance to Duncan Road have been expanded and every available piece of property within the industrial park adjacent to 690 Duncan Road has been sold for development. These would qualify as a “major changes”.
On the Future Land Use Map, 690 Duncan Road is recognized as an Employment Center.
Page 40 of the Comprehensive Plan states, “The primary land use in these areas (referring to Employment Centers) should be light industrial uses… as well as warehousing..” New development should “occur where water (adequate water pressure) and sewer are available”; “located near major thoroughfares”; “extra landscaping should be used in areas adjacent to residential” and, the “The City and County should utilize the information, research and assistance available through the jointly funded Economic Development Authority.” All were disregarded during both rezone requests of the Duncan Road property, yet serve as qualifiers for rezone approval.
The existing Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use map do not allow any other property in Franklin County to be considered for rezone to IG. Thus, the refusal of the Fiscal Court to forward the text amendment request to P&Z ensures that any future expansions of Buffalo Trace warehousing, and the $80,000 of annual tax revenue they each provide, will take place in another county.
Lawmaking authority remains solely with the legislative bodies. Therefore, the decisions about what is zoned, how it is zoned and requests for rezone lie squarely on the shoulders of the City Commission and Fiscal Court, no matter the recommendation of P&Z.
The current Comprehensive Plan includes 32 anti-growth/development action items that restrict commercial development, limit growth to infill only, overregulate subdivisions, add anti-growth members to the subdivision regulation process; add costs to subdivision development and recognize nearly 80% of the land in Franklin County as being “used” for farmland.
NOT included in the existing Plan is a single action item that encourages development or considers reevaluating requirements that drive up costs; recognizes the costs and ROI for each type of development; acknowledges that sustainability goes beyond environmental protection, but in fact includes economic viability and social equity; or addresses demand and affordability for local housing. The plan does not address the public investment that will be needed to sustain low- or no-growth; the long-term costs and tax implications of such restrictions; or that while most property is assessed for local, school and state property taxes based on fair cash value, farmland is taxed on agricultural “use value” which is a rate that is LESS THAN HALF the fair cash value used for other property owners. In fact, according to the PVA, commercial properties consume less than 1% of the land in Franklin County and produce $14.3M annually in real property tax revenue; residential properties consume 21% of the land and produce $30.1M in tax revenue; and farmland consumes 78% of the land and produces only $2.7M annually in property tax revenue.
Every voter and taxpayer should follow closely the update of the Comprehensive Plan and understand clearly the consequences of the existing anti-growth policy. Past restrictions on growth and development have caused Frankfort to remain stagnant while we watched our neighboring communities build homes, attract jobs; grow populations; increase tax revenues; expand local amenities; build recreational facilities; and improve schools.
If we choose to produce another Comprehensive Plan that makes it impossible to grow this community, we can anticipate that in ten years we will continue to see our population age; our young people leave; our services dwindle; and all of our friends frequenting restaurants, parks, shops, pools, festivals and workplaces in neighboring communities.
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