- The Boone County Planning Commission recommended rezoning 37 acres in Hebron to allow Drees Homes to build a 224-unit townhome community, pending final approval from Boone County Fiscal Court.
- Commissioners approved a technical design review for Big Sandy Superstore’s signage, confirming the retailer will occupy the former Value City Furniture building on Burlington Pike in Florence.
- Big Sandy received approval for three building-mounted signs totaling 469.9 square feet after planners determined the signage was consistent with neighboring retailers in the shopping center.
Two major Northern Kentucky development projects are moving forward thanks to recent backing from the Boone County Planning Commission: one for a proposed residential development and another for a future big-box furniture store.
Drees Homes
The Boone County Planning Commission on July 1 recommended approval of a zone change request for a 37-acre property located on the west side of North Bend Road, between Overlook Drive and Barbara Drive in Hebron, from Suburban Residential Two to Suburban Residential Three.
Drees Homes, a Fort Mitchell-based homebuilder, wants the property’s zoning designation changed to allow development of a 224-unit townhome complex. The complex would consist of multiple two-story condominium buildings with garages, homeowners association-maintained common areas, in addition to amenities including a pool, clubhouse, walking paths and open green spaces.
The property is owned by the Goodridge Family Partnership, Gwen Vice and Nancy Akins, according to Boone County property records.
Prior to the vote, Boone County Planning Commission Executive Director Kevin Costello told Drees Development Manager Matt Mains that the company must obtain the required signature on the zoning conditions letter in order for the project to move forward.
During a previous meeting on June 17, the Zone Change subcommittee attached several conditions to Drees’ zone change amendment application. A conditions letter is the document that lists the agreed-upon conditions attached to a rezoning recommendation. Those conditions are generally acknowledged by the applicant or developer before the recommendation is forwarded to the Boone County Fiscal Court.
“I want to emphasize, you’ll have to get that signature before the fiscal court takes action,” Costello said. “They’ll demand that. Otherwise, if you can’t get it, I think the project’s dead as presented.”
Since the property is located in unincorporated Boone County, the Boone County Fiscal Court has final authorization of Drees’ zone change request.
Big Sandy Furniture
The vacant Value City Furniture building off Burlington Pike in Florence is set to become Big Sandy Superstore, an Ashland-based furniture retailer.
The former Value City Furniture building is located at 8032 Burlington Pike in Florence. The building became vacant earlier this year after Value City’s parent company, American Signature Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Big Sandy is a regional furniture retailer that operates in West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri and Indiana. Currently, the chain is one of the largest independent furniture retailers across the Midwest and Appalachia. Big Sandy carries products from national brands such as Ashley, La-Z-Boy, Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Whirlpool, General Electric and Samsung.
News of Big Sandy moving into the space was confirmed by the Boone County Planning Commission after the board approved a technical design review for the signage the retailer intends to install.
Under the Houston-Donaldson Corridor Study guidelines, businesses are generally limited to one building-mounted sign measuring no more than 200 square feet. Big Sandy sought approval for three building-mounted signs totaling 469.9 square feet.
Boone County Planner Steve Lilly said that Ashley Furniture and Morris Home Furniture, whose stores are located in the same strip mall as the vacant Value City building, both went through the same sign review process.
“This is the site of the former Value City Furniture; it’s within the same shopping center as Morris and Ashley,” Lilly said. “The other two tenants, Morris and Ashley, have gone through similar design review processes.”
Lilly noted that the City of Florence was also supportive of the request.
Ultimately, the planning commission felt the signage was consistent with the other retailers in the shopping center.
As of now, there is no reported timeline for Big Sandy’s opening. However, the Florence store is listed as “Coming Soon” on Big Sandy’s website.
