A standing-room-only crowd packed the Cold Spring City Building on Monday night as city council rejected a zoning amendment that would have cleared the way for a proposed Culver’s restaurant.
The special meeting of the city council drew about 50 people, filling the 30 or so plastic chairs, sitting on the floor, crowding the back of the room and spilling into the foyer.
Citizens made public comments about the second reading of a proposed ordinance that would adopt amendments to the special development area zone, known as SDA.
If passed, it would have paved the way for a Culver’s restaurant in the city.
Bob Mount, Principal with Cosmo LLC, owns the property at the corner of U.S. 27 and Winters Lane with his business partner, Brandon Martin. The pair sought to develop a Culver’s restaurant at that location if the language was changed. This particular development has been in discussion since 2022.
The issue of amending the SDA zone lot measurements from 2 acres to 1.5 acres and the maximum building height from 35 to 40 feet, among other changes, is not new.
In November, council ceremoniously voted 3-2 against the ordinance.
At this week’s special meeting, City Attorney Brandon Voelker explained that the earlier ceremonial vote and first reading gave the public the required legal notice and gave council members a chance to let constituents know where they stood. That first reading and vote had no legal result beyond that: “The vote that matters is tonight.”
The council voted the amendment down 4-2. Christopher Ampfer and Lisa Cavanaugh voted yes; Steve Cunningham, Adam Sandfoss, Laura Vroegindewey and Cindy Moore voted no.
Council member Chris Ampfer explained that his “yes” vote was “not against safety, babies being killed, [or] houses set on fire. It just opened [the city] a little bit more to future development.”
Proponents of the failed amendment, including would-be developers, noted that it would enable growth, which they said is crucial to the future of Cold Spring.
Public sentiment, as expressed at the meeting, was entirely opposed to the amendment.
Resident Anne Marie Perkins said, “As a busy mom, I love the convenience of drive-thru restaurants, but there is one thing I love more – the safety of my children.”
Former mayor Mark Stoeber pointed council to a recent Cincinnati Enquirer article, “Busiest Streets in Northern Kentucky.” Cold Spring roads appear multiple times on the list, with tens of thousands of cars travelling through on a daily basis.
Lifelong resident Debbie Popovich urged council to holistically consider safety, traffic congestion, and future planning – “the total impact.”
For resident Linda Williams, the pro side did not present any clear basis for changing the amendment.
“That got my dander up,” said Williams. “I have yet to hear a reason for this. The only time anybody said any reason to go from 2 acres to 1.5 is they said the property involved is an eyesore. That is the only reason I have heard for that side of the issue.”
It’s not about Culver’s, opponents claim. The issue is whether Cold Spring’s longstanding vision and plan, which created the city that residents know and love, should be altered, even on a case-by-case basis.
Detractors fear that altering the SDA zone for any reason, not just for this particular proposed Culver’s, would open the door to unbridled development.
LINK nky’s Campbell County reporter Haley Parnell contributed to this article