Increased traffic, wildlife displacement, decreasing home values — these were just some of concerns Boone County residents had regarding a proposed zone change that if approved, would lead to the development of a new subdivision.
The Boone County Fiscal Court Chambers were packed full on Wednesday evening, with many attendees forced to stand due to a lack of seating for a public hearing about 44 acres of land that has polarized residents.
Charter Commercial, a real estate development company based out of Crestview Hills, requested a zoning map amendment from the Boone County Planning Commission to change the designation of the 44 acres in Burlington from Suburban Residential One to Suburban Residential One/Planned Development.
The land’s current designation requires the land to be used for low-density residential dwellings that uphold the character of a typical suburban neighborhood.
If the zone change is passed, it would allow Charter Commercial to begin building Hickory Point and Poplar Point Apartments, a development featuring 139 attached single-family residences and 157 multi-family residential units.
“The overall theme of this development is we’re trying to cluster the development so that we can minimize the amount of impact the overall development would take versus disturbing the majority of the 44 acres and trying to cluster it to allow for as much green space and open space for a ‘piece and quiet’ type of neighborhood,” said Charter Commercial’s Pat Manger.
Manger went on to say Charter Commercial wanted to “meet the demand” for workforce housing in Boone County, citing the Northern Kentucky Area Development District’s 2023 housing study.
The problem for residents? The 44 acres sit in the middle of three different Burlington neighborhoods: The Cliffs, Valley Creek Farms and Shaker Run. Residents of these neighborhoods voiced their frustrations to the planning commission during the public comment section of the hearing.
Stacey Blevins, a resident of Valley Creek Farms, said her family constructed their “forever home” in the subdivision with the aim of raising their children in a quiet and safe neighborhood. If the zone change goes through, Blevins said this vision could be in jeopardy.
Specifically, she raised concerns over the increased traffic volume the new subdivision would bring, saying it would endanger children in the neighborhood.
“What they’re proposing is not family homes that we can feel good about our children running around,” she said.
Another resident, Susan Schwindman, said the home designs Charter Communications proposed aren’t aesthetically pleasing.
Planning commission documents reveal that Blue Ash-based Brookstone Homes is the company that would be constructing the proposed homes and apartment building.
“It does not look doesn’t have any kind of appeal any class,” Schwindman said. “It seems to me that they’re trying to cram as many people as they can into the smallest area with the least amount of expense.”
Mike Parker took issue with the one-bedroom apartments included in the development plan.
“Your decision tonight, or whenever you vote on it, will tell the Boone County residents whether you believe in single-family and homeownership — the American dream — or you believe in putting as many units on the ground as possible in Boone County,” Parker said.
The next step for the zone change request is for the planning commission’s zone change committee to discuss its merits at its next meeting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 4. The committee can decide whether or not the request should be heard in front of the full planning commission.
