Zoning change wanted by Buffalo Trace sets dangerous precedent for Franklin County
To Franklin County officials,
First, why can’t Buffalo Trace expand into areas already zoned industrial? Do they get to dictate where their warehouses are built because they bring in tourist and tax dollars?
Second, we are not talking about just a zoning change but also a change in zoning code which would allow the construction of bourbon warehouses with only a conditional use permit. This change opens all agricultural areas in Franklin County, not just Peaks Mill, to warehouse construction without any chance for public input. Why shouldn’t Buffalo Trace’s expansion be decided on a case- by-case basis as they are required by current code? Why give Buffalo Trace complete freedom to build anywhere they want without objection?
Third, bourbon is not a farm product. It is manufactured not grown and therefore inherently industrial not agricultural. It is after all called the distillery industry not bourbon farming. If Buffalo Trace wants to build warehouses in Peaks Mill they need to get a zoning change from agricultural to industrial.
One of the reason industrial zones exist is to protect neighborhood and communities from the effects of chemical byproducts like whiskey fungus.
Not enough research has been done yet to determine whether or not whiskey fungus adversely effects human health. However, the possibility exists that evaporated ethanol is converting into ethanal, AKA acetyldehyde, which is considered a known carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. There’s a chance people are breathing in acetyldehyde without knowing it. Shouldn’t we then confine the warehouses away from neighborhoods and schools until the research is completed. Surely no amount of corporate “good deeds” or tax revenue are worth the risk of people getting sick with cancer!
We do know for certain that whiskey fungus comes from the bourbon distillation process. In Kentucky that amounts to five million gallons a year. Whiskey fungus is airborne and can grow on everything for miles. It is hard to remove and requires frequent cleaning and causes damage to the physical property consequently adversely effecting home values. Who would want to buy a house with hard-to-remove fungus growing all over it? In Louisville homeowners are required to inform buyers about whiskey fungus before finalizing the sale of their home. So who is going to compensate all the homeowners in Arnold Ridge when their property values drop? Who is going to clean the fungus off the playground equipment at Peaks Mill School? Buffalo Trace?
Of course Buffalo Trace could be a good neighbor and eliminate whiskey fungus emissions if they install thermal oxidizers in all of their warehouses, as brandy distillers currently do in California. The whiskey distillers claim that this process will affect the taste of the whiskey, but during court proceedings brandy makers like E & J Gallo have disagreed.
One family privately owns Buffalo Trace. It is one of the largest spirits company in the U.S. with billions in revenue. Surely Buffalo Trace can expand it’s industrial footprint in accordance with industrial zoning codes and still realize billions in revenue. So, why aren’t they? It’s because you aren’t making them follow the codes and you’re letting them make their own rules.
Margaret Groves is a Franklin County resident.
