- A Boone County Planning Commission subcommittee recommended approval of Drees Homes’ scaled-down 335-unit residential development along U.S. 42.
- School capacity was a key concern, with Drees proposing a limit of 30 new detached single-family homes per calendar year.
- The proposal will next go before the full Boone County Planning Commission on Oct. 7.
A scaled-down development proposal from Fort Mitchell-based Drees Homes has advanced through a key subcommittee of the Boone County Planning Commission.
Drees Homes is seeking a zone change for 185 acres along the west side of U.S. 42, between Rice Pike and Bleu Yacht Lane, to make way for a large residential development. The request would rezone the land from agricultural estate to suburban residential with a planned development overlay.
On Sept. 16, the planning commission’s Zone Change Subcommittee recommended approval of Drees request, advancing the proposal.
If fully approved, Drees would have the go-ahead to develop 335 residential units: 219 single-family residential units and 29 townhome buildings. In addition, the development will be accompanied by amenities such as a community center with a swimming pool and an accompanying pool house, an internal sidewalk system and a small system of walking trails.
Boone County property records show that the 185-acre plot is actually two distinct parcels of farmland owned by Bleach Bottle Investments LLC and Gary W. Neltner.
In March, Drees proposed a larger development on the same properties, seeking a zoning change for 377 residential units, including 247 single-family homes and 130 townhomes. That proposal called for a higher density of 2.05 units per acre. Ultimately, Drees withdrew the proposal after facing pushback from several residents.
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
School capacity was the central focus of discussion within the subcommittee meeting. Throughout the planning process, residents have raised concerns over how the development could impact schools in the area. Boone County Schools Superintendent of Operations Kim Best penned a letter to the planning commission, telling the body that the development could contribute to enrollment and capacity challenges within the district.
She cited capacity concerns at several nearby schools: Ryle High School and Gray Middle School are currently over capacity, while New Haven Elementary ended the previous school year at 90% capacity. Ryle is also among Kentucky’s largest high schools by enrollment.
To quell concerns, Drees Homes Development Manager Matt Mains proposed limiting construction to no more than 30 detached single-family homes per calendar year, excluding patio homes and townhomes. The restriction would phase the development over a longer period, reducing the number of new homes coming online at once, limiting the immediate burden felt by the local community.
“I just know when you’re stretching a development from eight to 10 years to potentially 14, 15 years, it comes with a lot of consequences that it’s hard to work through. We were all under a lot of pressure,” Mains said. With that being said, I fully recognize the challenge that the school board’s facing.”
When asked by Mains, Boone County Zoning Administrator Michael Schwartz said the condition could be enforced through the zoning permit process. Drees would be required to provide documentation from the school district before exceeding the annual limit. Without that documentation, planning staff would not issue a permit for a 31st detached single-family home within the calendar year.
The subcommittee supported the added measure, with planning commission member Janet Kegley noting that similar conditions have been used on developments in the past.
“We have done this kind of thing, and we have done it with 15 homes every year,” Kegley said. “I think 30 is a very reasonable number.”
The full planning commission is set to review the proposal on Oct. 7 at 7 p.m.
