Board of Zoning Adjustment - 2026-04-20
Meeting Intelligence Preview
Meeting Summary
The Louisville Metro Board of Zoning Adjustment approved the Mid City Market redevelopment at 1250 Bardstown Road, granting four variances and six waivers for the 56,000 sq ft grocery store, four retail buildings, and a 12,000 sq ft library/office building. The board also approved a transitional home CUP at 432 South 16th Street (Flip the Script Recovery) with a modified six-month exercise deadline, and continued a second transitional home case at 6014 Robin Hood Lane pending additional operational details. Multiple residential variances for setbacks and fence heights were approved across the jurisdiction.
Key Decisions (17)
Mid City Market Redevelopment - Category 3 Plan
Approved category three development plan for Mid City Market at 1250 Bardstown Road and 1620 Beechwood Avenue, including 56,000 sq ft grocery store, four two-story retail buildings totaling 8,400 sq ft footprint each, and 12,000 sq ft office/library building. Developer: Branch Properties. Vote was unanimous.
Mid City Market - Four Variances
Approved variances for: (1) Beechwood Avenue infill setback - 49 ft requested vs 29 ft max, 20 ft variance; (2) rear yard setback for parking - 0 ft vs 5 ft required; (3) Baxter Avenue infill setback - 142 ft vs 5 ft max, 137 ft variance; (4) Bardstown Road infill setback - 221 ft vs 35 ft max, 256 ft variance.
Mid City Market - Six Waivers
Approved waivers for: (1) omit landscape buffer at Canes restaurant; (2) parking in front of buildings on Bardstown and Baxter; (3) loading docks on Baxter facade with screening wall; (4) no customer entrance on Baxter; (5) transition zone facade standards; (6) less than 50% glazing on Baxter facade.
Flip the Script Recovery Transitional Home CUP Exercise
Approved exercise of existing conditional use permit for transitional home at 432 South 16th Street. Applicant: Star Allen/Flip the Script Recovery. Modified condition 2 to require exercise within 6 months of board decision instead of original 2-year period that had expired.
Transitional Home CUP at 6014 Robin Hood Lane
Continued case 26CUP0029 for transitional home operated by Saba Glay (Our House of Favor) to May 4, 2026. Board requested additional information on operations, management plan, organizational structure, and type of residents served. Property has been operating without required permits for approximately two years.
Variance for Empire Tires - 6702 Southside Dr
Approved variance 25-0067 to allow building construction more than 5 ft from right-of-way. Front yard setback requirement 25 ft, request 145 ft, variance of 140 ft for 751 sq ft tire storage shed. Applicant: DBRC (Dalton Brown Restoration and Construction).
Van Hoose Residence Variances - 7118 Beechland Beach Rd
Approved two variances for single family home construction: (1) 25 variance 0073 - building height 37 ft vs 35 ft max, 2 ft variance; (2) 26 variance 0035 - infill front yard setback 6.4 ft vs 20-40 ft required, 13.6 ft variance. Property adjacent to Ohio River.
Fence Variance at 2801 Montgomery Street
Approved variance 26-0021 for fence height in front and street side yards. Street side: 96 inches vs 42 inches required (54 inch variance). Front yard: 63 inches vs 42 inches required (21 inch variance). Fence already constructed.
Hawk Realty Warehouse Variance
Approved variance 26-0022 for 14,811 sq ft warehouse and 1,850 sq ft office at Blankenbaker access drive. Front yard setback 5 ft vs 25 ft required, 20 ft variance. Applicant: Justin Glasscock for Hawk Realty.
Carport Variance - Hughes Rd St Matthews
Approved variance 26-0036 for 23 ft by 12 ft carport to encroach into side yard setback. Request 2 ft from property line vs 5 ft required, 3 ft variance. Applicant: Austin Brooks.
Nine at UofL Setback Variance - 1900 S Floyd St
Approved variance 26-0038 for existing 127-unit multifamily building. Front yard setback 5.3 ft vs 10 ft required (previously reduced from 15 ft), 4.7 ft variance. Survey discovered building constructed over approved variance. Applicant: Emily Wade for LDG Development/Louisville Metro Housing Authority.
Speedway Sign Variance - Hudson Lane
Denied variance 26-0039 for freestanding sign at Speedway gas station adjacent to Hudson Lane. Request for 24 ft height and 99.6 sq ft area vs 18 ft and 80 sq ft permitted on collector road. Variance of 6 ft height and 19.6 sq ft area denied.
Dosker Manor Senior Housing - Category 3 Plan
Approved category three development plan 25CAT30014 for 127-unit senior living facility (55+) at East Liberty Street near UofL campus. Phase 1 of Dosker Manor redevelopment. Developer: LDG Development with Louisville Metro Housing Authority. Includes variance and two waivers for setbacks and building design.
Short Term Rental CUP - 514 W Saint Catherine
Approved CUP 26-0043 for short term rental in carriage house at 514 W Saint Catherine/1101 Garvin Place. Two bedrooms, six guests maximum. Owner Dennis Lally lives in main triplex. Exempt from 600 ft separation requirement due to owner occupancy.
Fence Variance at 227 E Ormsby Ave
Continued case 26 variance 0004 to May 4, 2026 due to applicant absence. Request for 64 inch fence vs 42 inch maximum in front yard. Fence already constructed without variance or certificate of appropriateness.
Infill Setback Variance - 26 variance 0027
Approved variance to allow principal structure to encroach into required infill street side yard setback. Requirement 30 ft, request 27 ft, variance of 3 ft. All adjoining property owners signed approval.
Mulder Residence Side Yard Variance - 26 variance 0040
Approved variance for residence addition to encroach into side yard setback. Requirement 5 ft, request 3.53 ft, variance of 1.47 ft. All adjoining property owners consented.
Zoning Changes (2)
432 South 16th Street
Star Allen/Flip the Script Recovery
6014 Robin Hood Lane
Saba Glay/Our House of Favor
Development Activity (5)
Mid City Market
56,000 sq ft grocery store anchor, four two-story retail buildings (8,400 sq ft footprint each), 12,000 sq ft office/library building, 22 off-street parking spaces, approximately 1 acre less impervious surface than existing condition, 3,700 feet of new sidewalks
Dosker Manor Phase 1 Senior Housing
127-unit senior living facility (55+), one bedroom units approximately 600 sq ft, income levels 30% to 80% AMI, 18-month construction timeline, financing through KHC, closing expected by end of 2026
Empire Tires Storage Shed
751 sq ft tire storage shed to replace fire-damaged structure, 1,850 sq ft office space
Hawk Realty Warehouse
14,811 sq ft warehouse and 1,850 sq ft office space, budget reduced from $5.6M to $3.6M through value engineering
Van Hoose Residence
2,419 sq ft single family home adjacent to Ohio River, 37 ft height
Market Signals (5)
Commercial Demand
Branch Properties invested over a year in site planning for Mid City Market, indicating strong developer confidence in Bardstown Road corridor retail despite challenging site constraints.
Housing Demand
LDG Development proceeding with 127-unit senior housing at Dosker Manor with financing secured through KHC, targeting 30-80% AMI residents, indicating demand for affordable senior housing near UofL.
Sentiment
Cherokee Triangle Association, Tyler Park Neighborhood Association, and Highland Commerce Guild all formally supported Mid City Market redevelopment, with testimony that the corridor needs this investment more than developers need the project.
Infrastructure
Mid City Market will add approximately 3,700 feet of sidewalks and crosswalks compared to current 750 feet, and reduce impervious surface by nearly one acre, improving walkability infrastructure.
Commercial Demand
Multiple transitional housing operators seeking CUPs indicates growing demand for recovery housing services, though enforcement of licensing requirements remains a concern.