Local developer Tony Berling is looking to build 80 new Fischer Homes condos in a tract of land adjacent to the Walton Towne Center.
The matter came before the Boone County Planning Commission during a public hearing last Wednesday in the form of a zoning change request. Berling requested rezoning from the land’s current commercial two zone to a commercial two/planned development zone, which would allow construction of the housing units. The planning commission will cast a vote to recommend either in favor or against the request at its business meeting next month.
Berling was requesting the change on behalf of an LLC called the Walton Land Development Company. The land itself is located just east of the intersection of Kroger Drive and Towne Center Drive, sandwiched between Kohl’s and Tractor Supply Co. The land is currently vacant.
A concept development plan submitted to the planning commission shows 10 buildings, some with five units and some with 10 units, each containing Fischer Homes’ Gallery line of condos. Each unit would have a covered patio or deck and two bedrooms. Avery Hepko, a land acquisition manager with Fischer Homes, said the units’ starting price would be about $180,000.
“There’s definitely a need for this kind of housing in Walton,” said Berling.
One obstacle to the development is that Walton is currently under a development moratorium due its sewers being overcapacity. The moratorium has been in place since 2024.
“The moratorium is well documented,” said Walton Mayor Terri Courtney. “The only thing that is being allowed currently are one-offs. In other words, if you own a plot of land in Walton, it would be considered (if) it would be one residential home, but not a development.”
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
Courtney said that she wasn’t at the meeting to speak out either in favor or against the development. She told the planning commission that the city recently held an engineering meeting to discuss the possibility of sewer expansion. The city was still waiting to hear back from the Division of Water, but hoped to have the expansion project out to bid in March or April. Once out to bid, she estimated completion in a year to a year and a half.
Several residents spoke out against the development, criticizing Fischer Homes’ build quality and the likelihood of construction noise. Another resident expressed worry that kids who would live in the condos may run the risk of getting hurt or sick due to the units’ proximity to the Tractor Supply Co. and the other businesses.
The Boone County Planning Commission will discuss the matter further at the meeting of its zoning change subcommittee on Oct. 21 and will issue a final decision on the zoning change request on Nov. 4.
You can view maps and design documents submitted to the planning commission below.
Greg Fischer sits on the Managing Board of LINK nky, which oversees the business operations of LINK but has no say in editorial matters.
