Two zone change requests are making their way through the Boone County Planning Commission pipeline that, if approved, would lead to the development of Wendy’s and 7 Brew Coffee.
Wendy’s
On Dec. 7, the Boone County Fiscal Court conducted the first reading of an ordinance changing the zoning designation of a 1.2-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Mt. Zion Road and Lakeside Drive.
Edgewood-based Sinkula Investments wants to change the parcel’s zoning designation from Mobile Home Park to Commercial Four. If passed, this would allow for the development of a 2,300-square-foot Wendy’s with 29 parking spaces.
Under the Boone County Zoning Code, Commercial Four allows for commercial services – either retail or recreational – or office uses near arterial or interstate highways.
Sinkula Investments operates numerous Wendy’s restaurants throughout Northern Kentucky, including Alexandria, Edgewood, Newport, Dry Ridge, Cynthiana, Covington, Union, Latonia, Hebron, Cold Spring and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
Currently, the future construction of Wendy’s would impact six mobile homes at 10013, 10017, 10021, 10025, 10029, and 10033 Lakeside Drive. Under the ‘Our Boone County Plan 2040’ comprehensive plan, the parcel is designated a site for future commercial use.
Adjacent to the future Wendy’s site is Greenlawn Mobile Home Park, which the comprehensive plan identified as an area that should eventually be redeveloped as a commercial space due to its high visibility and access along Mt. Zion Road – one of the most prominent arterial roads off I-75 in Boone County.
As such, any future redevelopment of the mobile home park would need to encompass the entire area to ensure proper planning and updates to the road system.
“The Planning Commission also concluded that any future redevelopment of the mobile home park will have to include the entirety of the property to ensure that to properly evaluate vehicular street connections and mitigate any foreseeable traffic issues,” Planning Commission Surveyor Steve Lilly said.
Andrew Pulliam, a representative from Flagship Communities, a real estate investment trust that owns the mobile home park, told the court that the park has over 300 plots.
Commissioner Jesse Brewer asked questions regarding traffic, specifically how Lakeside Drive, a private road, will handle heavier traffic from larger vehicles.
Lilly responded that the applicant or Sinkula Investments would be responsible for future repairs to the roadway.
“Lakeside Drive is private and will continue to be private, so any kind of wear and tear that happens through deliveries or anything else, ultimately, it will be in the interest of the applicant to make those repairs for their business,” he said.
A second reading of the zone change ordinance will occur during the fiscal court meeting on Jan. 21. If conducted, the zone change will be complete.
7 Brew Coffee
On Jan. 14, the Boone County Planning Commission recommended approval of a zone change request of a 1.56-acre plot of land, located at 8109-8113 US 42 in Florence, from ‘suburban residential one’ and ‘office two’ to ‘commercial services.’ The property is located less than a mile from I-71/75.
Brew Team KY LLC, a Lexington-based coffee franchisee, is behind the zone change request. The company operates seven 7 Brew Coffee stores in Lexington, Louisville, Bowling Green, Versailles and Jeffersonville, Indiana.
If passed, the zone change would pave the way for a 510-square-foot 7 Brew Coffee — Northern Kentucky’s first. 7 Brew Coffee is a drive-thru concept that serves coffee, tea, shakes, energy drinks, and tea. The company originated in Arkansas.
“We offer up to 30 different flavors of milkshakes depending on the season and the seasonal flavors we have,” 7 Brew Coffee representative Brian Evans said during the meeting.
The site is surrounded by other commercial properties, including Tire Discounters, Take 5 Oil Change, White Castle, Marathon gas station and O’Reilly Auto Parts. Additionally, single-family residences border the property to the south.
Planning commission member Tom Szurlinski voiced concerns over how the development could impact traffic on Lacresta Drive.
“At some point, we’re going to overflood traffic on Lacresta Drive, and we’re going to come back and say, you know, at what point does it end? That’s my concern,” Szurlinski said.
During a previous zone change committee meeting, a representative from Brew Team KY said putting an exit from 7 Brew Coffee onto Lacresta Drive was necessary for the project.
Evans told the court that the coffee shop’s peak hours are early in the morning, with a soft pickup around 3-4 p.m. when schools let out.
Regarding construction, Evans said the shop comes premanufactured and is put together with a crane. Overall, the process takes around 12 weeks, he said.
“From when we break ground until we’re finished with constructions, it’s about eight weeks, and then we take about three to four weeks of pre-opening,” Evans said.
Ultimately, the planning commission voted 12-1 to recommend approval of the zone change request, with Szurlinski as the lone objector. The recommendation will now go to the Boone County Fiscal Court and the Florence City Council for further deliberation.