Boone County rejected a potential zone change that would’ve made way for a sprawling 55-and-older community or a pig farm.
On Tuesday, the county’s fiscal court conducted a second reading of an ordinance that ultimately denied the zone change request. The applicant, Jake’s Farm Real Estate Development Company, wanted to change the zoning designation from Agricultural Estate to Suburban Residential One/Planned Development.
The fiscal court conducted a first reading of the ordinance on July 23.
Boone County Judge/Executive Gary Moore and Commissioners Cathy Flaig, Chet Hand and Jesse Brewer all voted to reject the zone change request.
“After the presentation by the planning commission and the report, this body felt that to move forward that a first reading to deny the application and to deny the planning commission’s request was more appropriate,” Moore said.
The property in question, Cornerstone Farms, is a 34.87-acre plot located at the southeast corner of Richwood Road and Schmidt Lane. Jake’s Farm Real Estate Development Company owns the plot.
Cornerstone Farms was the home of Leslie Jacobs, who used the property to raise saddle-bred and race horses. Leslie’s son, Mark, represented the Jacobs family during prior planning commission and fiscal court meetings.
Jacobs pitched two different development visions for the property. The first was a gated retirement community with 147 units spread across 24 buildings, including four detached single-family residential dwellings, 56 attached single-family residential dwellings within 14 buildings and 87 multi-family residential dwellings within six buildings.
Additionally, the farm’s historic milk barn would be converted into a Home Owners Association activity center along with a gatehouse that would be installed at the development’s primary entrance.
The next, and more inflammatory option, was to build 69 detached single-family residential dwellings and a free-range pig farm. Jacobs and his lawyer, Thomas Breidenstien, argued that a pig farm would be a permitted usage for the property under Boone County Agricultural Estate zoning designation.
The jakes-farm.com website even stated the developer would’ve either moved forward with an approved residential development project or begun a free-range pig farming operation in 2024.
Previous planning commission and fiscal court meetings brought out droves of residents who were against the zone change request. Many utilized the meeting’s public comment section to voice their concerns and displeasure. Specifically, many residents of the nearby Richwood Estates subdivision spoke out, citing concerns over traffic, impaired views, and environmental preservation.
During the fiscal court ready, Breidenstein, speaking on behalf of the Jacobs family, thanked the court for working with them but expressed disappointment at the outcome.
Breidenstein said the family would continue working with the court and county staff to bring a business that’s permitted under the county’s zoning code to the property.
“We look forward to working with this court, and with your staff, and for the support and your assistance as we bring those permitted A-2 uses onto our properties,” he said
