- A 1.8-acre parcel at 8577 Dixie Highway was rezoned to allow United Dairy Farmers to build a modern convenience store and eight-pump gas station.
- Fiscal Court approved a zoning amendment legalizing Union Pointe Christian Academy’s operations at Potter’s Ranch in Union.
- The school, currently serving about 12 students, could expand to up to 100 students under conditions tied to future development approvals.
The Boone County Fiscal Court approved zoning changes on Tuesday night that will pave the way for two projects: a modernized United Dairy Farmers gas station along Dixie Highway in Florence and the official legalization of Union Pointe Christian Academy at Potter’s Ranch.
United Dairy Farmers
In the coming year, Florence will be home to a revamped United Dairy Farmers’ gas station and convenience store at 8577 Dixie Highway.
The fiscal court authorized a zone change for 1.8 acres of land, transitioning the parcel’s designation from Industrial One to Commercial One. This change also allows United Dairy Farmer to demolish the current gas station and convenience store and replace them with contemporary buildings. The new complex will resemble that of the UDF at 9520 Union Promenade Drive in Union.
The new UDF will feature a new 6,300-square-foot convenience store and a gas canopy with eight pumps.
UDF corporate is anticipating increased local competition from Wawa, a gas station and convenience store chain from Pennsylvania that’s aggressively expanding into Greater Cincinnati. A Wawa is slated to open directly across the street from this UDF.
Potter’s Ranch school
Union Pointe Christian Academy will soon be legally allowed to operate at Potter’s Ranch thanks to the recent fiscal court ruling.
Union Pointe Christian Academy is a small private school that previously operated out of Florence Baptist Church at 642 Mt. Zion Road. The school later relocated to Potter’s Ranch, where it is now housed inside a multipurpose building on the campus. The organization behind the school is The Robert Lightner Foundation, a nonprofit Christian group.
The fiscal court approved a zoning map amendment submitted by Robert Lightner for a 7.3-acre parcel of land at 5194 Beaver Road. The parcel is part of Potter’s Ranch, an approximately 630-acre complex that hosts camps, educational seminars, retreats, and recreation programs throughout the year, according to its website.
The property is currently zoned Recreational One, a designation that does not permit school operations. Because Union Pointe already operates a school on the property, Boone County cited the foundation for a zoning violation.
To resolve the issue, the planning commission and fiscal court approved a ‘planned development overlay’ for the parcel, allowing the school to operate on the site legally. The amendment legitimizes the school’s use of Potter Ranch’s 22,700-square-foot Family Life Center, located along the banks of Gunpowder Creek.
“Just as a quick reminder, this is for the use as a school to come in compliance with zoning,” Webster said. “There were three conditions, which really kind of dealt with future expansion, if the school wanted to add students in other buildings.
In the future, the foundation plans to renovate the building to accommodate up to 100 students. At present, approximately 12 students attend the school. The approved zoning map amendment grants the foundation the legal authority to build a neighboring school building, although an attached condition requires the foundation to follow the planning commission’s Change of Concept Development process.
Tony Vornberger, the ranch director at Potter’s Ranch, attended the second reading and told the fiscal court he was eager to move into the building.
“We’re just very anxious to get into the building,” he remarked.