Next week, the Boone County Planning Commission is set to discuss a controversial multi-building development in Hebron.
Bunnell Hill Development Company, a property developer based in Lebanon, Ohio, is seeking a change to Boone County’s concept development plan to build a residential development on an 11.8-acre plot of land. The concept plan features 68 attached single-family residential dwellings within six buildings.
The land in question is located in Hebron along the north and west sides of Conrad Lane, between North Bend Road and Strike The Gold Drive and directly across from Carry Back Drive. Currently, the land vacant is heavily wooded. Bunnell Hill owns the land, purchasing it for $750,000 on Feb. 12, according to Boone County property records.
Rob Keller, a civil engineer at Bayer Becker, the firm that designed the project’s concept development plan, said that Fischer Homes, an Erlanger-based home developer, would build the dwellings.
“We believe this development provides a good transition from the single-family homes across from Conrad Lane to the existing industrial buildings at Gateway Park,” Keller said. “It’s a good infill, high-quality project by reputable builder in our region.”
A study of housing in Northern Kentucky has revealed troubling trends for housing in the region, with the largest need being for “workforce housing” for households earning between $15 and $25 per hour, with monthly housing costs between $500 and $1,500. The region needs about 3,000 more housing units to provide for people within that income range, according to the study. The demand for one- to two-bedroom rentals and owned properties consistently exceeds their supply, while supply for three and four-bedroom properties consistently exceeds demand. The study suggests that the region needs to build 6,650 housing units to support economic development in the next five years, which equates to 1,330 units per year. Read more here.
Understanding NKY’s housing shortage
The property is bordered to its north and west by several industrial buildings, including a Win.IT America warehouse, Verst Logistics packaging facility and Zumbiel Packaging facility. Currently, the property is zoned Industrial One/Planned Development.
This means that although the property is zoned specifically for industrial development, its planned development designation establishes a flexible, alternative zoning district that could allow the potential for mixed-use residential, commercial or industrial developments on the site.
Keller said Bunnell Hill felt the land would be better suited for residential development rather than industrial. Furthermore, he noted that Bunnell Hill wants to keep much of the forested area intact and seven of the 11 acres untouched.
“There were certain features that stood out to us, including the stream that cuts through the middle of the site,” Keller said. “It does divide it in half, as well as the existing topography and buffer yard areas. So one of the goals of that was to preserve these areas as much as possible and with that in mind, residential really is a better use for the south portion of the site.”
On Sept. 2, the Boone County Planning Commission hosted a public hearing where the public could share their thoughts on the proposed development. Over a dozen nearby residents and homeowners attended the public hearing.
Lisa Wilson-Plajer, a resident of the nearby Derby Farms subdivision, spoke at the public hearing. She voiced concerns over how the development could negatively affect traffic along Conrad Lane. Specifically, Wilson-Plajer worried that the development’s only entrance and exit would be along Conrad Lane, further complicating traffic on the road.
Like the proposed development, her subdivision’s only entrance and exit is along Conrad Lane. She posited that if traffic backs up along Conrad Lane, residents of her subdivision could be stuck without a way to drive in or out.
“I just think this going to be another way to get somebody killed on this road for that development,” She said. “Like I said, I do want development, but I just want a different entrance to this.”
Michelle Mletzko, another resident of Debry Farms, worried that the development could increase traffic along Conrad Lane, making the road’s ‘S’ curve more dangerous — especially during winter. She also worried the development could add to what she views as an overpopulation problem at nearby Goodridge Elementary and Conner High School.
“I understand we need housing in this area – we are booming in Boone County, but I don’t think this is the right place for it,” Mletzko said. “I think it will make Conrad too dangerous. I think if there are more children in this new area, it makes our schools in this area even more overpopulated than they already are.“
The next step for Bunnell Hill is for their concept development plan to be heard at the Boone County Planning Commission’s upcoming Zone Change Committee meeting on Oct. 16. If it passes that committee, the concept plan will be presented to the entire planning commission at a later date.
