Shepherdsville Council Annexes Property, Church Opposes

The Shepherdsville City Council has annexed around 160 rural acres in Bullitt County for possible development in the area. Members of the Bardstown Junction Baptist Church oppose the decision, and say if development is allowed it will disrupt the area.The church members were successful in blocking a two-million square foot project on the land earlier this year, which developers said would potentially add thousands of jobs. Developers tried reaching an agreement with the church, offering various incentives, but the church denied.A small handful of property owners have now agreed to the annexation, contrary to the crowd who packed a city council meeting to fight the approval. But the council and the property owners who agreed to annexation still don't have any details, said church attorney Bruce Simpson.“The property owners showed up, but the city council did not have any more information than it ever has had relative to the consequences of the development on this 165 acres,” he said.The developers have largely been silent since the last proposal fell through, and Simpson said there are still unanswered questions.“Thus far not one single employer has been identified at all. I don’t believe there is an employer lined up. I believe they just want to land bank it and see what happens in the future,” he said.The council still has the chance to vote down any future proposals for developments. Simpson said he expects the planning and zoning commission to take the issue up in January.