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STANFORD – The City of Stanford has approved the first reading of an ordinance annexing a 224.780-acre tract known as the “Rowland Industrial Park.”

Stanford City Council members held the first reading of the ordinance during its Oct. 14 regular monthly meeting.

According to the ordinance, the property is “urban in character and/or suitable for development for urban purposes.”

A map of the proposed annexation includes three properties owned by the Stanford Lincoln Industrial Development Authority; one property owned by David and Sonja Bratcher; one property owned by PCW Management, LLC, and one property owned by the City of Stanford, as well as two right-of-ways on Tech Way.

City Attorney John Hackley read a summary of the annexation ordinance during the City Council meeting.

The October City Council packet also included a Sept. 29 letter from property owners David and Sonja Bratcher, expressing support for the annexation.

“This letter is to confirm that we own the property located at 117 Tech way, Stanford, KY 40484 and want the property annex(ed) into the city limits of Stanford,” the letter states.

The letter is followed by a tax incentive agreement between the City of Stanford and Pitman Creek Wholesale, LLC, which has acquired about 25.375 acres in the Rowland Industrial Park and plans to locate and construct a 200,000 square foot warehouse and distribution center.

According to the agreement, the project will involve a total capital investment of approximately $13,500,000 and create around 218 new full-time jobs in Lincoln County.

“In consideration of the provision of municipal services, the Companies hereby consent to annexation of the property site into the City of Stanford, Kentucky pursuant to KRS 81A.412,” the agreement states.

81A.412 is a state statute that allows a city to annex any area if each of the owners of record of the land to be annexed gives prior consent in writing to the annexation.

“When a city has obtained prior written consent of each owner of record of the land to be annexed, the city may enact a single ordinance finally annexing the land described in the ordinance,” the statute states.

The motion for the first reading was made by City Council member Joe Tackett and was seconded by City Council member Eddie Carter.

Stanford Mayor Dalton Miller said the council was not required to vote on the first reading of the ordinance. The city council is expected to hold the second reading of the ordinance on Nov. 18. It will also be published in The Interior Journal on Nov. 24.