A zoning change is making way for a new McDonald’s along Mt. Zion Road in Florence.
On Tuesday, the Boone County Fiscal Court voted to change the zoning of a one-acre plot of land located at the southeast-facing intersection of Mt. Zion Road and Lakeside Drive in Florence from a Mobile Home Park designation to Commercial-4.
The zoning change is making way for a McDonald’s to be built on the site, which would be the fifteenth in Boone County.
Currently, seven properties are affected by the zone change, including single-family homes located at 266, 270, 274, 278, 280, and 290 Carpenter Drive, as well as Greenlawn Mobile Home Park at 1006 West Garland Court.
A concept plan for the McDonald’s was presented to the Boone County Fiscal Court on Dec. 19. The details of the plan include:
- 4,359-square feet McDonald’s with a drive-thru and 70-seat dining room.
- A single point of access will be developed for access to and from Lakeside Drive.
- 43 vehicle off-street parking spaces.
- Construction of a permanent barrier across Lakeside Drive separating the McDonald’s from the remainder of the mobile home park.
- Provisions for utilities, lighting, landscaping, and signage.
The zoning change request was submitted by attorney Jim Parsons from Keating, Muething, and Klekamp Law made on behalf of the mobile home park’s owner Kurtis Keeney.
Parsons, who also fielded questions at the Dec. 19 meeting, said that the mobile home park would remain standing, with only a small portion leased to the McDonald’s operator.
“This is actually a part of the mobile home park,” Parsons said. “In fact, it’s gonna be on leased land. The mobile home park is leasing this particular parcel.”
All of the residents in the mobile home park are currently renters, Parsons said.
While Lakeside Drive is a private road that isn’t currently in use, a prior agreement between the McDonald’s operator and the landowner would grant full road access to McDonald’s once the fast food restaurant is up and running. However, there would be no direct access from McDonald’s into the mobile home park due to the construction of a permanent barrier.
Steve Lilly, a surveyor for the Boone County Planning Commission, said the zone change is consistent with ‘Our Boone County Plan 2040’ — a comprehensive plan that includes a future land use map that designates the mobile home park for a transition into a commercial zone.
“The comprehensive plan that you have specifically encourages the mobile home park to eventually transition into commercial,” Parsons said.
The plan outlines appropriate commercial uses such as retail, corporate and professional office, interchange commercial, indoor commercial recreation, restaurants, and services.
Besides the mobile home park, the site is surrounded by commercial entities to the west and north, including a Valvoline service station.
During the Dec. 19 meeting, Commissioner Chet Hand said that community members had mentioned to him that they thought Boone County had too many fast-food restaurants.
“A lot of people asked me, ‘Can we get more, you know, unique to Boone County sit-in type restaurants,” Hand said.
