Stage one plans for 575 residential units in Southgate between Moock Road and I-471 at Fox Chase Drive in Southgate were approved by the Campbell County Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday.
The area comprises just over 85 acres and was requested by Grand Communities LLC, managed by Fischer Land Development LLC. The community coined “Sunrock” will include single-family detached homes, townhomes, carriage homes, paired patio homes, and apartments. The planning and zoning recommendation will now be moved to the Southgate City Council for its approval.
Southgate residents attended the planning and zoning meeting to oppose the plans. Their main concerns were additional traffic on Moock Road and landslide/water runoff that could cause issues in the Woodland Hills neighborhood, located down the hill from the proposed development.
“I’m totally against the project,” Woodland Hills neighborhood resident Gene Blanchet said. “I hate to be unneighborly to Fischer, but I will say this: you are not wanted as far as I’m concerned. In our development, in our city. Get out, stay out, and don’t come back.”
After a lengthy discussion was held in the three-and-a-half-hour-long meeting between residents, the commission, and the developer, the commission approved the zone change and stage one site plans. The Southgate City Council will hear two readings of the commission’s recommendation before they are approved, denied, or sent back to the planning commission.
The tax benefits that come with the approval of the development plans are $10 million over 40 years to Campbell County, $48 million over 40 years to Campbell County Schools, and $46 million over 40 years to Southgate. The site is estimated to be a $120 million-plus development.
Sunrock would be located in the Campbell County School District.
Based on the current zoning and the zoning regulations, a development could have up to 704 units within the acreage. The developer chooses to do more of a cluster design based on the typography. The existing area is vacant and wooded.
Campbell County Planning and Zoning Director Cindy Minter said that the area has some steep slopes coming up the hill.
“Which is really why the developer is looking for a cluster development so that they can concentrate the homes more toward the top of the hill and have less opportunity to disturb those hillsides,” she said.
Blanchet said during the meeting that one of his biggest concerns was water coming off the hill and causing slippage into Woodland Hills. He wasn’t the only one.
Executive Director of The Hillside Trust (advocates responsible use and preservation of the region’s hillsides), Eric Russo, said the area has one of the highest landslide rates in the country.
“Now, to clear the hillside out is going to be one phase you’ve got potential damage, the second phase is once the homes are built oftentimes it takes up to 15-25 years for those damages to begin to manifest because of the cracked foundations, road slippage, etc.,” Russo said.
David Basinger has been a Woodland Hills neighborhood resident since 1990. He said the neighborhood has had to spend $400,000 on a retaining wall after the development was built due to land slippage issues.
The site plans have four detention basins for water collection—the project engineer, Joe Kramer, with Cardinal Engineering, said two of the detention basins would help reduce flow out of the basins by 30-60%, resulting in a reduction of approximately 20-25% for the Woodland Hills area.
This project must also apply for and obtain a Storm Water Permit from Sanitation District No. 1. According to the sanitation district, the permitting “helps manage stormwater runoff and control erosion issues that can damage downstream property and infrastructure and pollute rivers and streams.”
Further, the developer must complete a geotechnical report on the area. The planning commission included a requirement in its stage one plan approval: “The geotechnical report completed as part of the stage two plans include an evaluation and mitigation recommendations of any increased risk to downslope properties caused by this development.”
Fischer Homes Chairman Greg Fischer said they are 100% committed to making the situation better than it is today.
“I will say this isn’t light work from an engineering and development standpoint,” he said. “It does require a lot of expertise, and our team brings it.”
The site plans include two clubhouse areas, one for the apartments and the other for the purchasable property. The plans also show that 25 acres remain of open space.
The single-family attached and detached homes are proposed to have a two-car garage. The townhomes are suggested to have a blend of garage space and off-street parking. Surface parking is indicated for the apartment units.
According to the staff report, the connections to Woodland Hills Drive and Fox Chase Drive will be realigned. Both Woodwind Hills Drive and Fox Chase Drive will remain private.
Basinger said his other concern was related to traffic issues on Moock Road. Many residents shared Basinger’s concern, especially when I-471 is shut down, causing traffic to be redirected to Moock Road.
Residents were critical of the development plans, including a turn lane on Moock Road that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet hadn’t yet approved.
“The road construction—the man from Fischer (Greg Fischer) got up tonight and said that there’s going to be a turning lane,” Blanchet said. “How the hell does he know there’s going to be a turning lane? The traffic study is not even complete yet.”
Campbell County Planning and Zoning Commissioner Justin Verst said it is standard practice for the transportation cabinet to hire an engineer licensed by the state to conduct a traffic study that is then reviewed by them and approved or not, and the developer is required by code to do the study.
“The traffic study has changed several times because of the plans evolving,” Kramer said, “But one of the things that was consistent through the traffic engineers report is that the turn lanes are going to be required.”
Should the Southgate City Council approve the development, here is an estimated timeline for the development:
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