The site of one walking trail in Winchester may become a new subdivision, after the planning commission approved a zone change this week.

On Tuesday, the Winchester Planning Commission voted 4-2, following lengthy discussion, to rezone nearly 47 acres at 1711 Boonesboro Road from agricultural A1 to single family residential.

Steve Williams submitted the zoning request. 

The property is presently owned by Calvary Christian Church and houses The Path, a walking trail.

The plan calls for 33 lots within the development, with four zoned as R-1E and the remainder at R-1D. The difference is minimum lot size, with R-1E being smaller lots, Planning Director Robert Jeffries said.

Most of the discussion, Jeffries said, centered around the property lying within the urban planning boundary which typically includes zoning for growth, including residential and business uses, with existing or proposed infrastructure. The property is bordered on two sides by other single-family residential subdivisions, according to the staff report.

At one point, the proposed extension of Bypass Road would have run through the property, but the state altered the plants and the property will not be affected, Jeffries said.

The property is presently for sale by the church. Jeffries said it is his understanding the sale of the property was contingent on the zoning change being approved.

The commission also approved the proposed Winchester-Clark County comprehensive plan unanimously. The updated plan, which has been a project for most of the year, will guide development and zoning requests for the next 20 years, though it must be updated every five years.

The executive summary lists 10 goals, including preserving and protecting farmland, supporting economic development, promoting residential development, enhancing recreational facilities and enhancing connectivity with additional sidewalks, trails and bicycle lanes.

To take effect, it must be approved in two votes by both the Winchester Board of Commissioners and the Clark County Fiscal Court.

The planning commission also approved an amended development plan for an apartment complex on Frontier Way. The plan for W&R Rentals ads a storage building on the property and alters the types of apartments. The development will still have 112 units, but only one- and two-bedroom units. The original plan called for 16 three-bedroom units.

The planning commission also denied a request from W&R to remove a sidewalk along Frontier Way as part of the project.

Finally, the planning commission voted to approve plans for Project 1107 on West Lexington Avenue as a public project, allowing it to move forward.

Jeffries said the vote found the project plan to be in agreement with the current comprehensive plan as a public project and approved the plans.

“Now The Greater Clark Foundation can move forward with getting everything ready,” Jeffries said.

The site occupies about 30 acres around the former Clark Regional Medical Center site. Plans call for the site to include dog parks, a walking trail, a sculpture garden, a children’s exploration area and a great lawn. The plan also specified one of the doctor offices along McCann Drive will be retained. Floyd Clay Drive will be removed.