At a Sept. 2 Boone County Planning Commission meeting, the commission recommended denying a polarizing luxury apartment development that would add 340 units on the border of Florence and Union.
Silverman & Co., a Blue Ash-based real estate development firm, requested a zone change for nearly 33 acres near Old Union Road and U.S. 42. The property, commonly known as the “Witt and Streutker property,” is currently divided among rural, suburban and rural suburban estate zoning classifications. Silverman sought to rezone the property to Urban Residential One/Planned Development to move forward with the project.
The development would feature 340 units spread across multiple three- and four-story buildings. In addition, Silverman’s plans call for amenities such as an 8,000-square-foot clubhouse and a range of resort-style amenities, including a swimming pool, a pickleball court, a dog park, outdoor workspaces, fire pits, and other gathering areas.
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
The planning commission’s zone change subcommittee previously recommended approval of the rezoning request by a narrow 3-2 vote. This time, the full planning commission voted 11-2 to recommend denial of the zone change request.
Union city officials, most notably mayor Larry Solomon, repeatedly voiced opposition to the project throughout the zone change review process.
“It is our hope that you recognize all the stated problems with this project and that it will generate and vote against, or at least postpone this project, until infrastructure is built,” Solomon said.
Once again, traffic played a major role in the commission’s analysis of the project. Commissioners cited potential congestion at Bowman Way and U.S. 42, which could further exacerbate traffic issues in the area.
“To me, that is a nightmare intersection there,” Rolfsen said.
The planning commission’s recommendation for denial will next go before the Boone County Fiscal Court and Florence City Council for consideration at future meetings.
