Construction crews are framing new homes in Darby Point. New patio homes anchor the hillside in Stone Ridge. The first homes in Stonefield Trace are being built. Work will begin soon on yet another subdivision, Morgan Place.

Once a sleepy country crossroads, Buckner is quickly being enveloped by suburbia. The growth spurt is just one reason Oldham County is the fourth fastest-growing county in Kentucky, with 45,821 people -- up 38 percent in 10 years.

In that time, 5,000 single-family houses were built. Residents and officials agree the county is at a critical juncture.

The newcomers are overloading commuter routes at rush hours. School enrollment has jumped 24 percent in 10 years. New regional sewer systems are opening the door to higher-density subdivisions.

Many newcomers are drawn to the county's highly ranked school system. Others are seeking a rural retreat.

Some residents decry the pace of growth, while others maintain it's under control. At least for now.

"When you drive out across the county and see as much open land as there is, I feel we do have a handle on it," said Denia Crosby, a 10-year member of the Oldham County Planning and Zoning Commission.

But Crosby, most officials and many residents agree it's critical for the county to develop tools for managing growth and preserving the county's remaining rural character.

"We're right at the breaking point," said Kevin Eldridge, chairman of the Oldham County Planning and Zoning Commission. "We are doing some things now to get a better handle on it. Now is the time to catch it."

The county doesn't want to stop growth, Judge-Executive John Black said. "But we have to be more aware of what it is doing in terms of impacting everything from schools to water to sewers, roads and parks."

The county is gearing up on several fronts.

Strategies are being created and coordinated through a joint effort of the long-range planning committees of both Fiscal Court and the Planning Commission.

"We need to come up with a shared vision for where we are going," planning administrator Jim Urban said.

The planning groups also are taking a hard look at regulations. Some say current regulations don't effectively manage growth.

The county's planning staff also will be encouraging alternatives to traditional subdivision design to preserve green space. The comprehensive land-use plan and maps are being revised to chart growth.

And officials are wrestling with how to pay for the increasing demand for government services and programs.

Debate over how the county is growing often flares during public hearings on proposed subdivision plans. Higher-density developments tend to draw the most opposition.

A group called Oldham Ahead is organizing to work with the county to find ways to manage growth and preserve the rural atmosphere. It's an outgrowth of a visit a year ago by an international team of land-use and planning experts.

One of the strongest messages from that experience, said Jim Welch, a Prospect area resident who helped organized the visit, is that "what people love most about Oldham County is the farmland."

"So what we need to do is find creative ways to sustain the agriculture business of Oldham County," he said. "We need to compete with the tempting economics of selling farms for development and try to help farmers find ways to sustain the economic attractiveness of farming."