A Northern Kentucky-based developer wants to build 382 dwelling units outside of Union. To do so, the firm will need the backing of the Boone County Planning Commission.
Crestview Hills-based developer Charter Commercial presented its concept development plan to the full Boone County Planning Commission during a public hearing on Sept. 3. Developers associated with the project previously presented the plans to the Union City Commission on Aug. 18.
The development, titled Union Landing, requires changing the zoning designation of a nearly 40-acre plot of land from Suburban Residential One/Planned Development to Suburban Residential Two/Planned Development.
Changing the parcel to Suburban Residential Two/Planned Development allows developers to incorporate mixed housing types, including higher-density condominiums.
Charter Commercial’s plans include developing 88 paired patio homes and 294 townhome units, averaging 9.7 units per acre. In total, Union Landing will have 20 condominium buildings, each with 14 units, and two buildings containing seven units each.
The parcel at 2063 Hathaway Road is owned by the Robert E. Reeves Estate, according to Boone County Property Valuation Administrator records. The site’s property boundaries are distinctive because 0.3 acres of the parcel are within the City of Union, whereas the rest is in unincorporated Boone County.
Pat Manger of Charter Commercial told the planning commission that developers would explore annexing the larger portion of the property into the City of Union.
While Charter Commercial is listed as the project’s developer, Fischer Homes, the largest homebuilder in Northern Kentucky, would be responsible for building the units.
“They’re supportive of the plan, they’re supportive of the density, they’re supportive of a mix of types of product,” he said. “Essentially, we have two different paired units: one’s a paired patio, one would be a paired townhome, and then the gallery product is a 14-unit condo for sale.”
In a letter to the planning commission from Charter Commercial, the developer stated that Union Landing is not designated as age-restricted. However, they anticipate that many baby boomers, currently downsizing, will be interested in purchasing the units. Additionally, homeowners would also need to be part of a local homeowners’ association, according to Manger.
The letter describes the potential development as having a “distinct neighborhood feel in a quiet setting, with heavy landscaping, walking trails, and two retention ponds,” along with other amenities.
During the public comment period of the hearing, nearby homeowner Larry Klein voiced his opposition to the development, citing concerns over how adding higher-density housing to the lot could alter the character of the surrounding rural area.
“I just wonder where it ends,” Klein said. “You know, if you start having non-single-family attached homes along here, this just continued down Hathaway Road, you’re going to have a bunch of vinyl-sided development on that side, and it just seems like it sets a precedent. How do you not allow the next multi-family development to go in next to one of those farms?”
The next step for the zone change request is for it to be scheduled before the Planning Commission’s Zone Change Committee on September 17 at 5 p.m. After that, it will proceed to be considered by the full planning commission on October 1.
In May 2024, LINK nky reported that a development consortium called Great Places LLC, which includes Northern Kentucky contractors Dave Noll, Matt Tobler, Dave Neff, and Larry Ruehl, planned to build a subdivision on the site. However, the site remains unchanged since the last report, with no progress in development.