- Boone Fiscal Court held a first reading on rezoning 15 acres on Aero Parkway from Airport to Industrial One.
- Crane Logistics Worldwide plans to build a 770-space lot to support employee parking for nearby manufacturer Jabil.
- The project includes traffic improvements on Aero Parkway and must meet several conditions, including KYTC approval and a traffic safety study.
A Florence-based supply chain company has gained the backing of the Boone County Fiscal Court to build a new parking lot off Aero Parkway near the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport.
On Tuesday, March 11, the fiscal court conducted a first reading of an ordinance that would change the zoning designation of an approximately 15-acre plot of land at 4805 Aero Parkway from Airport to Industrial One.
Once approved, the zone change will allow Crane Logistics Worldwide, a global freight forwarder and third-party logistics provider, to proceed with plans to develop a 770-space surface parking lot. A second reading is expected to take place at a fiscal court meeting on March 24.
The parking lot is designed to provide more employee parking for Jabil, a nearby manufacturer, to help ease parking shortages. The acreage is located between Jabil’s facility to the east and Zig Zag Road to the west.
Jabil has two shift changes during its workday: one at 5 a.m. and another at 5 p.m. These shift changes can lead to traffic backups along Aero Parkway, according to Boone County Planner Steve Lilly, who said Crane wanted the lot to help alleviate traffic congestion. Aero Parkway is among Boone County’s busiest roads because of its proximity to the Amazon and DHL cargo hubs at CVG, as well as several manufacturers and logistics companies.
Adam Ray, a representative of Pepper Construction, the company expected to build the new parking lot, told the fiscal court that several Jabil workers park at nearby locations and are shuttled to the facility.
“They park at the (Florence) mall, and they also park at the building at Ted Bushelman (Blvd.) as well,” Ray said. “There’s multiple shuttles that are running back and forth, and they’re trying to help eliminate that problem.”
Lilly informed the court that Crane proposed developing a right-in, right-out entrance off Aero Parkway, which would include a deceleration lane to improve traffic flow into the site. Crane is also working with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to install a traffic signal at the existing intersection, where traffic congestion often requires police officers to direct vehicles during peak times. The plan also involves adding a deceleration lane at the intersection.
All these proposed traffic improvements would require approval from KYTC, which oversees and maintains Aero Parkway.
Site plans shown at a previous Boone County Planning Commission meeting indicate that the design features amenities such as shuttle stops, shelters and a sidewalk network throughout the parking area.
Lilly outlined eight conditions attached to the zone change application: the lot must be limited to passenger vehicles only with no truck or semi-trailer parking allowed; detention ponds should drain within 48 hours or be equipped with bird deterrents; light poles are restricted to a height of 28 feet and must face downward to meet airport standards; a water line easement must be granted to Boone County Water District; access from Zigzag Road is prohibited; Aero Parkway access improvements must be completed pending KYTC approval; and a post-construction traffic safety study is required.
Lilly said that if Crane Logistics ever wanted to use the parking lot for other purposes, they would need to get approval from the planning commission.
“If they want to do something else, they would have to go back through the process and ask for a change,” he said.
