- Corporex is proposing a 190-unit, multi-family apartment complex on nine acres along Mineola Pike in Boone County
- The project requires a zoning map amendment from Rural Suburban and Industrial to Urban Residential Planned Development
- Planning officials raised concerns about airport noise, traffic access, and long-term impacts; the request was deferred to February
Covington-based real estate developer Corporex wants to build a 190-unit, multi-family apartment complex off Mineola Pike in Boone County.
To advance the project, Corporex requires approval from the Boone County Planning Commission and the Fiscal Court for a zoning map amendment that would reclassify a nine-acre parcel along the southeast side of Mineola Pike. The site is sandwiched between the U.S. Playing Card Company manufacturing facility to its southwest and the new Velo CirclePort apartment complex to its northeast.
Corporex aims to rezone the parcel from Rural Suburban and Industrial One to Urban Residential Three/Planned Development to facilitate the construction of the prospective apartment complex.
According to documents provided by the planning commission, the complex includes four apartment buildings: three with 45 units each and one with 55 units. In total, the complex would feature 50 studio apartments, 97 one-bedroom apartments, 43 two-bedroom apartments, as well as 307 parking spaces.
Historically, the site was home to a number of single-family homes, which lined the southern portion of Minneola Pike heading toward the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
All but one of the single-family homes have been demolished to free up room to build more housing.
In addition, the parcel is part of Corporex’s broader development initiative, CirclePort, a 650-acre mixed-use area straddling Boone and Kenton counties. Corporex’s original intended use of CirclePort was for offices and manufacturing, as it hosts several major companies, including Archer-Daniels-Midland, Fischer Homes, TQL, Answers in Genesis, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, and Toyota Boshoku.
In 2024, Corporex unveiled plans to expand the development’s offerings by investing in quality-of-life amenities like hotels, apartment complexes and restaurants.
The zone change request was first presented at a public hearing hosted by the planning commission on Dec. 3. At the hearing, Corporex Executive Vice President Nick Heekin advocated for the development, stating it would increase the supply of workforce housing near the airport – a goal that Northern Kentucky’s economic development community has championed for years.
A 2023 housing study by the Northern Kentucky Area Development District revealed that Northern Kentucky will require 6,650 more housing units by 2028 to match the pace of job growth.
A study of housing in Northern Kentucky has revealed troubling trends for housing in the region, with the largest need being for “workforce housing” for households earning between $15 and $25 per hour, with monthly housing costs between $500 and $1,500. The region needs about 3,000 more housing units to provide for people within that income range, according to the study. The demand for one- to two-bedroom rentals and owned properties consistently exceeds their supply, while supply for three and four-bedroom properties consistently exceeds demand. The study suggests that the region needs to build 6,650 housing units to support economic development in the next five years, which equates to 1,330 units per year. Read more here.
Understanding NKY’s housing shortage
“We believe it meets the need for housing within Boone County, and in particular by this airport, where things just seem to keep growing and growing,” Heekin said. “You’ve got tons of employees and folks that could benefit from additional housing, and at this stage, it is consistent with the uses that have already been built.”
The public hearing primarily addressed traffic, pedestrian safety along a multi-use path adjacent to Mineloa Pike, and potential noise mitigation for future residents due to its proximity to CVG.
Discussions about the prospective development picked back up at the planning commission’s zone change committee meeting on Dec. 17.
A key point in the discussion was the project’s proximity to the airport, raising concerns about aircraft noise and safety. Although none of the proposed buildings fall within the official airport noise contour, some parts of the property are nearby. Commissioners noted that flight paths can change. CVG mailed a formal objection letter to the planning commission, highlighting possible noise impacts and concerns about future liability.
“I guess my biggest concern here is that the end of your property is in the contour already,” Commissioner Janet Kegley said. “I don’t know enough about what DHS has in mind, or, you know, if they increase the number of flights going off of that same runway, you can affect the flight path, and it’s going to affect your property, because it’s already on your property.”
The committee also questioned whether the development should be required to include specific noise mitigation measures, such as enhanced soundproofing, rather than relying solely on lease disclosures or future owners’ responsibilities. Kegley pointed that retrofitting buildings after construction could be far more expensive than incorporating mitigation measures from the start.
“The difficulty is that, if you get to the point where you actually need to put in those changes, it’s more expensive than doing it from the beginning,” she said. “You have to take everything out–windows and doors, things like that.”
Heekin said a formal noise study has not yet been conducted, but could be completed if the project moves forward.
Ultimately, the Corporex and the committee agreed to defer further discussions until February.