A new Kroger Marketplace could soon be coming to Owensboro. The Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission voted Thursday night to approve a zoning request tied to the proposed development near Gateway Commons.
The application was submitted on behalf of Senior Green LLC, which owns the 23.47-acre property located at the northwest corner of Hayden Road and Pleasant Valley Road. Engineering consultant John Campbell said the request was made in coordination with The Kroger Company.
“I am the consultant for the rezoning request on behalf of Senior Green, the property owner. However, big picture, I am here representing the Kroger Company,” Campbell said during the meeting. He confirmed that Dan Ryan, a senior construction manager for Kroger, was also in attendance.
According to Campbell, Kroger is still in the process of negotiating the purchase of the property but intends to construct a Kroger Marketplace store, which is a larger-format version of a typical Kroger and offers expanded selections including clothing, electronics, and home goods.
Trey Pedley, senior planner with the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission, said the proposal complies with the city and county’s adopted comprehensive plan and recommended approval based on six findings of fact. Among them: the property lies within a business plan area where general business use is appropriate, and the request represents a logical expansion of existing zoning.
Pedley noted that a traffic impact study, which was pending at the time of the original staff report, had since been reviewed and approved.
As part of the approval, the applicant must satisfy six conditions, including final development plan approval, establishment of access easements, and the construction or bonding of all required public improvements.
Public comment during the hearing included questions from Charles Evans, a concerned citizen who raised potential legal and historical issues related to the land, including the possibility of unmarked cemeteries and prior lawsuits involving adjacent property.
Evans also asked whether the property had been annexed into the city to pursue Tax Increment Financing (TIF). In response, officials confirmed the site is already within city limits but said no information was available about TIF plans.
Following discussion, the commission unanimously approved the zoning change and associated conditions.
If constructed, the Kroger Marketplace would join a growing list of commercial developments near the Gateway Commons area.
Further steps will include subdivision plat approvals and final development planning before construction can begin.
