ELIZABETHTOWN, Ky. (WDRB) -- A plan to build a new VA clinic in Elizabethtown is gaining new life -- after city council members voted to approve a request to rezone the proposed property.

The developer is proposing a 60,000-square-foot Veterans Affairs clinic on an open field on Pear Orchard Road off Ring Road. Last month, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission rejected the proposal to change the zoning from residential to commercial.

"We had a good showing of people there who were opposed to it," Joe Reverman, Director of Planning and Development, told WDRB News last month. "Mainly from people who lived in nearby neighborhoods who were concerned, mainly with traffic."

But on Monday, the Elizabethtown City Council voted to rezone the property -- clearing the way for commercial development and allowing the project to move forward.

"It's right off Ring Road, which is a commercial corridor for our city," said Councilwoman Mika Tyler. "So it met all those (comprehensive plan) guidelines, which is why we felt like it was necessary to make that approval."

While some residents are still concerned about the change, others in the community see the project as a long-overdue necessity -- especially for the county’s large veteran population.

"Having a VA clinic here in E-town, of course, would be wonderful," Tyler added. "We have a ton of veterans in our community, but again, it was about the zoning change, not specifically being a VA clinic."

Andrell Jackson, a 21-year Army veteran, says it would make a big difference for local veterans who now have to travel for care.

"Most veterans choose to use a VA facility," Jackson said. "We don't have a place in our community that's going to serve us, and we absolutely need that."

There is currently no timeline for construction or when the facility could open. However, the zoning change could lead to plans soon.

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