- Drees Homes and Arlinghaus Builders are proposing a 135-unit residential community featuring 29 townhomes and 106 condominiums on 22 acres off Hathaway Road near Old Union Road.
- The project requires a rezoning from a mix of agricultural, rural suburban and town center designations to Suburban Residential Three, a classification that would permit the proposed density.
- Traffic was a topic of discussion; while a traffic study found turn lanes were not required, developers agreed to add a left-turn lane at the entrance as part of the approval process.
The Union City Commission heard a presentation from Fort Mitchell-based Drees Homes on Monday regarding a potential residential development off Hathaway Road near Old Union Road.
Drees Homes, in conjunction with Arlinghaus Builders, wants to build 135 residential units on a nearly 22-acre plot of land. To move forward, the developers have requested a rezoning of the property, which currently encompasses multiple zoning designations.
The developers are officially requesting that the property be changed from a combination of Agricultural Estate, Rural Suburban Estates, Rural Suburban and Union Town Center designations within the Union Town Overlay District to Suburban Residential Three within the overlay district.
Essentially, the rezoning would change the property from a mix of rural, estate-lot and town-center zoning to a suburban residential classification that would allow for the proposed development.
Matt Mains, a development manager at Drees, told the commission that the zoning designation was designed to align with both Boone County’s Comprehensive Plan and the Union Town Overlay Plan, which both recommend higher-density suburban residential development in this area.
“We really try to hang our hat on that – make sure it’s following what the city, what the county’s kind of laid out,” Mains said. “First off, if you look at the (Boone) county comprehensive plan, what this is shown as is high suburban density residential, and what that means is just single-family or attached residential homes up to eight units per acre. What we’re proposing is all for sale attached units, so we’re requesting six units per acre, max.”
If approved, the complex would feature 29 townhouse units and 106 condo units. The exteriors and the open space of the complex would be managed by a homeowners’ association. Mains said the townhomes would be geared toward empty nesters and young professionals, while the condominiums would be in two-story buildings with one unit above another. Both products will include garages.
In addition, the complex would feature a small community gathering area with a gazebo, as well as a pedestrian walkway connecting to Old Union Road.
“When we had the executive team meeting, we asked them if there could be a walkway from this community down to the Old Union Road, because of the park that’s going to go in, and then access to that — that would be a nice way to get people there without a lot of traffic,” Mayor Larry Solomon said.
Prior to Drees’ presentation to the Union City Commission, the Boone County Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of the proposal at a meeting on May 6.
One of the biggest sticking points of the proposal was traffic. Mains confirmed that a traffic impact study has been completed. On the subject of adding turn lanes, Mains explained that, according to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet standards, the expected traffic from the development does not warrant turn lanes.
Nevertheless, concerns raised during the planning commission’s vetting process led the developers to add a left-turn lane into the community entrance as a condition of approval.
No action was taken during the meeting. After the commission largely expressed satisfaction with the proposal, Solomon directed staff to begin preparing the necessary ordinance for future readings. Because the affected acreage is within Union’s jurisdiction, the commission has ultimate decision-making authority over the proposal.
