- The Kenton County Planning Commission has issued recommendations that would allow for the realignment of Arlington Road and the development of 24 apartments.
- The land contains the old Szechuan Garden building, and the city is seeking grant funding for the road realignment.
- Residents had concerns about the potential loss of the tree buffer and other environmental worries.
The Kenton County Planning Commission has stamped a set of recommendations that will enable developers to build 24 apartments on the land containing the old, now-defunct Szechuan Garden building and realign Arlington Road.
The area in question has been a somewhat touchy subject within Park Hills’ city government, and although Thursday’s approvals aren’t the final step in the process, they represent key steps toward redeveloping the area.
“This is an economic development for the city,” said Developer Greg Berling, giving one of the reasons for the project, “and it also provides it, with the relocated Arlington, potential for redevelopment of the commercial along Dixie (Highway),” which intersects with Arlington Road. Other arguments for the development Berling gave included improved safety at the intersections and pedestrian access onto Dixie Highway.
Berling first presented the idea of building the apartments to the public in September. He plans to develop the property through his LLC, B&Z Watercrest.
The area in question includes both the land on which the Szechuan Garden building sits as well as an adjacent parcel containing a police station (which naturally is owned by the city). The back portions of the Szechuan Garden land are wooded and terminate in a cliff face. Houses above overlook the cliff.
The developers and city hope to accomplish several things with the redevelopment: build 24 apartments on the land where the restaurant sits and then realign Arlington Road around the police station, thereby eliminating one of the two traffic lights at the current intersections.
The apartment complex and the city’s road realignment are separate projects officially.
Park Hills Mayor Kathy Zembrodt admitted the city lacked the budget to complete the road realignment on its own, but it had applied for funding through the Kenton County Site Development Fund. The funding could help bankroll the road project, which the developers have put at about $1 million in cost. The city would be responsible for matching 10% of the county’s contribution, or $100,000. The city has not yet heard back about the grant.
“I’ve had numerous calls from KYTC… to get rid of one of the lights, and how can we realign it?” Zembrodt said.
Berling confirmed that he would not be able to carry out the apartment development without the realignment. In other words, if the city doesn’t get the grant, the development dies.
In the meantime, the developers needed several approvals from the planning commission. First, they needed the land where the apartments were slated to go to be rezoned from its current residential mixed zone to a residential urban zone. Next, they need a recommendation from the planning commission to amend the city’s zoning regulations to allow for greater density within said zone.
Finally, they needed a waiver from the requirement to build a cul-de-sac, arguing the hilly topography of the land made that impossible. The design the developers pitched at the meeting has already been implemented elsewhere in the city on Altavia Avenue. An analysis they conducted suggests a Park Hills fire truck could turn around on the street with some deft maneuvering.
County planning professionals recommended approving all three of these requests.
Residents who lived on the cliff above the development expressed concerns about the possible degradation of the tree buffer, light and noise pollution from the apartments and the risks of disturbing the hillside. Yet, in the end, the planning commissioners felt these concerns had been adequately addressed by the developer.
“Park Hills and other communities like it are going to require creative solutions…,” said Lakeside Park Planning Commissioner Ken Heidrich. “I appreciate the creativity.”
“This is tough topography to build,” said Covington Commissioner Sarah Flem. “I feel like what I’m hearing is that considerations have been made to do as much hillside preservation and to have as minimal impact as possible. I hear the concerns of the community, but I’m leaning towards feeling this is consistent (with county standards).”
The planning commission approved all three requests. The zoning requests will now return to the Park Hills City Council for final approval. The cul-de-sac waiver is final.
