Overview

The proliferation of state planning and growth management laws has increased the importance of preservation planning. Preservation planning should be an important part of comprehensive community planning. It can establish priorities for dealing with historic resources within the framework of existing local planning programs and present specific recommendations for meeting these priorities.

Land use law in Kentucky is based on statute, case law, and accepted practice.  The enabling legislation for land use is contained in Kentucky Revised Statutes (KRS) Chapter 100. 

In Kentucky, a comprehensive plan is a prerequisite to zoning and “serves as a guide for public and private actions and decisions to assure the development of public and private property in the most appropriate relationships.” Kentucky statutes allow communities to address historic preservation in their comprehensive plans.
A good preservation plan will:

• Be periodically reevaluated and amended to adjust to changing conditions.
• Be based on a determination of present and projected conditions within the area.
• Be thorough.

The most effective preservation plans are adopted as an element of the comprehensive plan and contain at minimum:

• Goals.
• Definitions of historic character.
• Summary of past preservation efforts.
• Survey of historic resources.
• Explanation of legal basis.
• Discussion of the relationship between historic preservation and other land use growth management authority.
• Explanation of public-sector responsibilities.
• Discussion of incentives.
• Summary of the relationship between historic preservation and local education programs.
• A statement of an agenda for future action.

Information on preparing preservation plans is available from the Kentucky Heritage Council.  In addition, the American Planning Association and the National Trust for Historic Preservation have issued publications containing excellent information on preparing historic preservation plans.  For more information, see the American Planning Association [] and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. []