Proposal for VA clinic in Hardin County hits roadblock after zoning vote

ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) — A proposal to build a new Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Hardin County has stalled after the Elizabethtown Planning and Zoning Commission rejected a request to rezone the proposed property.

The commission voted 3-2 Tuesday against rezoning a vacant field along Pear Orchard Road that could have become the site of a 60,000-square-foot VA clinic. Supporters say the facility is desperately needed in a region with one of the highest veteran populations in the state.

“This is a veterans-centric area that absolutely could use it,” said Andrell Jackson, a 21-year Army veteran who served three tours of duty. “Most veterans choose to use a VA facility, and we don’t have a place in our community that will serve us. We absolutely need that.”

Currently, many veterans in Hardin County travel about an hour to VA facilities in Louisville or Leitchfield. Jackson said that’s not a viable option for some, particularly those who are elderly or without transportation.

“For us to actually send them out on the road when we could have a facility in our own backyard—it’s not something that’s going to go away,” he said.

But not everyone supports the current site. Jared Norton, who lives near the proposed location, said he backs the idea of a VA clinic but believes the area’s infrastructure isn’t suited for a facility of that size.

“With that going in right behind those houses, it’s going to cause a lot more traffic, a lot more congestion,” Norton said, suggesting a site along Ring Road would be a better fit. “That’s what that area is for—industrial. Especially toward Central Hardin.”

Despite the zoning commission’s decision, the project isn’t dead. The Elizabethtown City Commission is expected to review and consider the proposal in the coming weeks.

Jackson said a nearby clinic could help thousands of veterans in Hardin and Meade counties get care faster and more affordably.

“We could make it cheaper, we could make us safer, we could make it better for our veterans,” he said.

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