New Norton Commons-style development could double this Kentucky city's population

Brothers Gant and Clay Jones look at the land that's been in their family for at least eight generations and see a legacy in the making.

Since the early 1800s, the property on the edge of Crestwood has remained mostly undeveloped. But over the next few decades, it will be transformed into an urban community that could change the future of Oldham County.

Master plans for the 500-acre estate call for a town center with a grocery store, restaurants and other businesses. They call for a new hospital surrounded by medical offices. And with space for up to 3,000 homes, they call for enough new residents to double the population of the city in which the land resides.

"A lot of people that get involved in these types of developments, they only do one of them," said Gant Jones, an architect and founder of the community, called Clore Station. "They're very daunting, very taxing."

The community is named for the Clore family, which historically farmed the property that spans both sides of Exit 14 off Interstate 71.

Since the 1970s, family members — led by the brothers' mother and uncle, Clara Clore Jones and Lee Jones — have discussed what to do with the land, as farming fell out of fashion. And in 2017, they settled on hiring the company behind Norton Commons to come up with a master plan.

"We could easily sell (the property) to some tract home builder," Gant Jones said. "But we want to build something good. We want to look back and be happy about what we've done for the community."

In the years since, Gant Jones has spearheaded efforts to develop a new zoning code that would allow for construction of a more traditional neighborhood, similar to many downtowns. And in November, Oldham County officials awarded Clore Station final approval to move forward.

Family members will now start preparing the land for development, with construction on the first buildings expected to start by early 2026.

Gant Jones said passing the new zoning code was critical to creating a walkable community the family envisioned, where businesses and residences are mixed together instead of separated.

Buildings will be most dense around a town center before spreading out into less dense single-family subdivisions — with about 116 acres preserved for greenspace, mostly around a creek system that runs through the property.

Plans call for a mix of residential units that will keep prices more affordable, from cottage courts with a shared entry path to "treehouses" that can be built within the land's sloping topography.

All buildings within the community will have to adhere to architectural standards that keep their designs similar. And while Clore Station founders have an idea of the community's layout, pieces of it could change as builders and businesses express interest in being part of it.

"Every time I pass these out to somebody, I tell them if you come back and look at this five years from now, it's going to be substantially different," Clay Jones said of the community's master plans. "If you look at Norton Commons, from what was originally approved to what they've done, it's substantially different."

What won't waiver is the family's commitment to seeing the development through — even if some of it is finished by generations to come.

"This is a 25- to 30-year project, from the point that it starts to where it's 100% complete," Clay Jones said. "I'll be lucky if I'm still alive" when it's done.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Norton Commons-style development could double population of Crestwood