BURLINGTON — The Boone County Planning Commission sent a plan to turn part of Meadowood Golf Course into apartments and townhouses into the deep rough Wednesday.

        By an 8-2 vote, the commission recommended denial of a zone-change request by The Drees Co. and Robert C. Rhein Interest Inc.

        The request was for a nearly 40-acre tract of Meadowood — nine of its 18 holes — on the east side of Ky. 237 across from Stephens Elementary School.

        The planning commission's recommendation to deny the zone change now goes to Boone Fiscal Court, which makes the final decision.

        “I don't think the application is supported by the (Boone County 1995) Comprehensive Plan,” planning commission member David Zimmer said.

        Dave Henderson lives on Tim ber Lane near the golf course. He said approval of the change would have done away with the golf course access he said he was promised when he bought his home several years ago.

        “The high-density (development) would have taken away the golf course and would have lowered the property values,” Mr. Henderson said.

        Sigrid Chapman, whose condominium has a view of Meadowood's No. 9 fairway, agreed.

        She and other residents near the golf course carried signs that read “Save Our Green Space,” but she thinks Wednesday's action is the first round of a long contest.

        “We've got to stay on it to make sure we know what's going on,” Ms. Chapman said.

        But to Alex Tarasenko, senior vice president at Robert C. Rhein, the decision was a blow.

        “We were surprised and disappointed,” Mr. Tarasenko said. “We tried to address the concerns of the planning commission. ... We're reassessing at the moment. We've had better days.”

        Wednesday was Mr. Tarasenko's second attempt to develop the 18-hole Meadowood layout.

        In April, the company submitted and later withdrew a plan to take all 18 holes.

        It called for 306 apartments (with monthly rents of $650-$900), 97 single-family homes (costing $140,000-$190,000) and 148 carriage homes (costing at least $120,000).

        The second plan, submitted in August, called for taking only the nine northernmost holes, which would have been converted into 248 apartments and 136 two-story townhouses.

        Meadowood owner Lowell Runion has said his 18-hole public course cannot compete with two county-owned layouts: the 27-hole Boone Links, located in the Oakbrook subdivision; and Lassing Pointe, an 18-hole course behind Ryle High School in Union.

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