450-unit Erlanger development clears planning commission

The Kenton County Planning Commission approved zoning Thursday night that will allow Corporex to eventually build 450 apartment units on a land tract on Dolwick Drive in Erlanger and Crescent Springs.

The approval is pending a traffic study and other conditions recommended by the county.

Final approval of the zoning now moves to the Erlanger City Council.

The land spans about 46 acres and is located on the north side of Dolwick Drive, which itself is near the interstate. A tiny portion of the land, less than an acre, crosses over into Crescents Springs, but only the roughly 45 acres in Erlanger were before the planning commission this week. Turfway Road is to the west, and Crescent Springs Road is to the east.

Corporex has owned the land since the 1980s, and it sought to change the land’s zone from its current business park zone to a multi-family residential zone. The preliminary development plan presented to the commission on Thursday calls for the construction of 450 apartments and 550 parking spaces. The site is currently vacant and heavily wooded but has been graded for development.

The commission also voted to recommend removing a requirement for detached garages in multi-family residential districts, a move that will facilitate the development.

The plan calls for the construction of six, four-story buildings, each with at least 60 units (the larger buildings have as many as 90 units). It has one access point on Dolwick Drive. Other amenities in the plan include a swimming pool, tennis courts, a hiking trail and a clubhouse.

Correspondence between county professionals and Corporex, submitted to the planning commission before Thursday’s meeting, indicates that the units would be of varying sizes, with market-rate rents ranging from $1,500 to $1,900 per month.

Before the meeting, Erlanger Mayor Jessica Fette, Executive Director of the Northern Kentucky Area Development District Tara Johnson Noem and Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce President Brent Cooper sent letters in support of the development, although they did not attend the meeting in person. Each believed it addressed a need for housing in the region.

Proponents pointed to either a 2023 housing study from the Northern Kentucky Area Development District or a subsequent housing initiative called Home for All, which argues the region needs 6,650 additional housing units by 2028 to keep up with job growth.

Patrick Denbow, a senior planner with Kenton County Planning and Development Services, also cited the housing study in his presentation to the commission.

Greg Scheper, a representative from Corporex, said the idea for the development came out of trying to recruit tenant businesses at the nearby Circleport project. A common complaint from potential “end-users,” as he called them, was the lack of housing nearby.

“It’s a real issue, and we’re hearing it from employers,” Scheper said.

Opponents to the development all cited worries about the development’s effect on traffic. A resident submitted a letter before the meeting, and several community members, including Crescent Springs City Council Member Jeff Smith, spoke about the traffic issue.

Additionally, Smith submitted a video into the record, showing traffic in the area as he drove towards Dolwick from Crescent Springs.

People talked all the time about the housing shortage, Smith said, “but I’m telling you, there’s no shortage of traffic.”

There was discussion among commissioners about the need for housing, traffic, as well as the question of industrial versus residential development generally in the county.

Commissioner Kareem Simpson expressed concern that additional permitting and sidewalks, which were not included in the concept plan, may have the effect of increasing rents down the line.

Commissioner Matthew Martin acknowledged that traffic in the area was a significant issue, to the point that it had even been flagged by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Commissioner Phil Ryan said the traffic study would reveal the depth of the problem and potentially provide some solutions.

Some of the most strident criticism came from Commissioner Gailen Bridges, who was seemingly perturbed by the fact that the site was development-ready for businesses due to its existing zoning, yet Corporex was trying to build apartments on it.

He referenced recent tension around Kenton County’s Sight Readiness Initiative, or SRI, which seeks to inventory land in the south end of the county for later industrial later use. It’s proven unpopular among a contingent of residents there.

Bridges’ comments indicate that he thought the zoning request before them indicated inconsistent priorities at the county-level, but he, like the other commissioners, eventually voted in favor of the change.

“There is a housing shortage,” said Denbow. “This not only helps to meet the housing shortage, but is supportive to future industrial development and business park development.”

The vote to recommend the change was unanimous. The Erlanger City Council will cast a final vote on the zoning in the coming months.