Alexandria residents near a proposed D.R. Horton subdivision on Grandview Road returned to the planning and zoning commission Tuesday, continuing to press concerns about hillside stability, stormwater and the long-term effects of developing the steep site.
After an over three-hour discussion, the commission unanimously approved a revised preliminary plat for the development with seven conditions, including additional testing to demonstrate a slope stability analysis with a minimum factor of safety of 1.5 (meaning the forces holding the ground in place, like soil, are at least 50% greater than the forces pulling it down).
D.R. Horton plans to develop a residential subdivision at 1671 Grandview Road. The Alexandria Planning Commission previously approved the preliminary development plan in June 2025. The current proposal calls for 43 detached single-family homes on roughly 31 acres, with less than half of the property slated for disturbance.
Our region, according to a housing strategies report released in 2025, lacks sufficient housing for young adults forming their first household; for essential workers like nurses, teachers and first responders; and for older adults. A teacher with a median annual income of $43,740, for example, can afford only 26% of the rental and 16% of the for-sale housing in the region, according to the report. For a restaurant server, only 1% of the region’s rental housing is affordable.
An older person relying on Social Security can also afford only 1% of rental housing in the region, according to the report.
The report, called Home for All: Northern Kentucky Housing Strategies, came to be thanks to more than 90 leaders and experts from across NKY who spent hours studying the region and its urgent housing challenge. Their goal was to close the housing gap across income levels and provide a place for everyone.
Click here to learn more about the shortage and how NKY leaders and community members are stepping in to find solutions.
Understanding NKY’s housing shortage
Residents’ latest concerns, most recently shared with the city council on Aug. 6, center largely on the project’s geotechnical analysis and whether enough is known about the site’s soil, groundwater, and slope stability before construction moves forward.
D.R. Horton has been the largest homebuilder by volume in the United States since 2002. Founded in 1978 in Fort Worth, Texas, D.R. Horton operates in markets across the country.
Since the proposal was first considered, the developer has revised the layout to avoid sensitive areas and comply with the city’s hillside development controls. Retaining walls have been reduced in height and length, a walking trail and dog park were removed and the road and cul-de-sac were shifted. The developer also submitted additional geotechnical information, a cut-and-fill analysis, slope analysis, tree survey and stormwater pollution prevention plan.
Much of the Aug. 18 meeting’s discussion focused on whether those changes and studies provide enough assurance that the hillside can be safely developed.
Eric Russo, executive director of the Hillside Trust, a Cincinnati-based nonprofit focused on hillside conservation and development, told commissioners the issue deserved particular scrutiny because of the region’s history of landslides.
“Our region is one of the four major landslide regions in the country,” Russo said.
Russo, an urban planner who said he is not an engineer or geologist, questioned whether the project’s current geotechnical analysis adequately demonstrates how the hillside will perform after substantial grading, excavation and tree removal.
“I’m not saying this property cannot be engineered, but I am saying that you should not be asked to assume a substantially altered hillside remains stable without seeing the engineering analysis that proves it,” Russo said.
Residents raised similar questions, particularly about portions of the project where valleys would be filled to create buildable areas. The discussion included areas where nearly 40 feet of fill could be placed.
Alicia Mueller questioned whether the analysis sufficiently accounts for areas where homes would be constructed over significant amounts of fill. She pointed specifically to proposed homes on lots two through 17, which contain nearly 40 feet of fill.
“This is where we stress the geological importance of finding every single scenario to prove a factor of safety in association with the site,” Mueller said. “Can assumptions of safety be made on assumptions of what the soil can actually bear?”
Andrew Lageman, a geotechnical engineer with Civil Solutions, said the amount of fill itself is less important than how it is placed and monitored. Fill would be placed gradually in thin layers and tested for proper compaction, he said, with Civil Solutions monitoring the work.
Jeff Flaherty with Cardinal Engineering said the firm has designed subdivisions involving even larger amounts of engineered fill, pointing to Manhattan Harbour in Dayton as an example where areas were raised 60 to 70 feet.
“Engineered fill is stronger than the natural ground that you’re on if you get the right compaction and quality control for the process,” Flaherty said.
Stormwater and groundwater were another recurring concern.
Project engineers said stormwater plans must meet Sanitation District No. 1 requirements, which generally require post-development runoff to leave the site at the same or a slower rate than before development. A detention basin is planned to temporarily hold runoff and release it gradually.
During construction, contractors will also be required to inspect erosion controls after rain events, while SD1 has authority to inspect the site and issue stop-work orders if necessary.
Residents, however, questioned whether the proposed testing adequately accounts for groundwater and what could happen to neighboring properties if drainage patterns or the hillside change over time. They also raised concerns about who would ultimately be responsible for retaining walls, drainage infrastructure or slope problems years after D.R. Horton finishes the subdivision.
“When that instability occurs, the responsibility ultimately falls on somewhere between the homeowner, the HOA, or possibly, in this case, the city of Alexandria,” Russo said. “That’s why this proposal deserves careful scrutiny.”
McKinlee Miller with D.R. Horton said a homeowners association would be established before homes are built and would eventually assume responsibility for shared infrastructure, including retaining walls. The developer would establish a budget and collect a capital contribution at closing along with HOA dues before eventually turning control over to residents.
Engineers also stressed that Tuesday’s vote concerned the preliminary plat, not the final construction plans. More detailed engineering work, including slope stability analysis, comes during the next stage of review.
That distinction became a central point as commissioners considered whether to require more testing before the project advances.
Commissioner Thomas Simpson suggested additional testing could address residents’ concerns during the next phase.
The commission ultimately did that.
Along with requiring testing demonstrating a minimum slope stability factor of safety of 1.5, the conditions require compaction reports for roadways and home sites involving fill and allow engineered footers or foundations to be required for homes constructed on fill. The landscaping plan must also be updated with consideration for the geotechnical findings and retaining-wall locations.
Other conditions limit the subdivision to 43 lots, require applicable utility and SD1 approvals, identify areas that will be disturbed during construction and generally limit tree removal and earth disturbance to those areas.
The preliminary plat approval does not authorize D.R. Horton to begin grading. Final construction plans and other required permits have not yet been approved.
The project must now proceed through the city’s next stage of review before dirt can be moved.
