Kenton County’s 19 zoning ordinances were developed during the early 1980s based on a “model” ordinance crafted by PDS’ predecessor organization. Except for the City of Covington which rewrote its ordinance during the mid-2000s, these ordinances have not been updated in a comprehensive manner since then.

Most of these ordinances continue to regulate with their original administrative policies and protocols. While close to 80 percent of their texts remain nearly identical, individual differences have been pursued by local governments in the form of over 700 text amendments just since 2000. Almost all of these were undertaken on a reactionary basis, addressing new development trends or specific issues that were unique to them.

The Kenton County Planning Commission adopted Direction 2030: Your Voice, Your Choice, the county’s comprehensive plan, in 2014. This was the first wholesale rewriting of the communities’ comprehensive plan since their first was adopted in the early 1970s. The process that led to this new plan included over 100 opportunities for input from the public, staff from the county and cities, elected officials, developers, and other interested parties. Numerous goals, objectives, recommendations, and tasks resulted from that input, voicing the need for updating the various jurisdictions’ zoning ordinances.

PDS embarked on a project in 2016 to accomplish this—to create Zoning for the 21st Century (Z21).

Part 1: The Zoning Code Audit
Part 1 of this 3-part series summarizes PDS’ consultant team’s approach to the zoning audit process and what it looked for when it reviewed Kenton County’s zoning ordinances. This process resulted in detailed recommendations for updating those ordinances. (The full presentation was presented originally to the Z21 Task Force on June 20, 2017.)

Part 2: Analysis and Overall Recommendations
Part 2 of this 3-part series explains the consultant team’s 30,000-foot-view recommendations for Kenton County’s zoning ordinances. These recommendations were based on the team’s analysis as described in Part 1. (The full presentation was presented originally to the Z21 Task Force on September 20, 2017.)

Part 3: Detailed Recommendations
Part 3 of this 3-part series describes the consultant team’s detailed recommendations for Kenton County’s zoning ordinances. These recommendations build on the 30,000-foot-view recommendations discussed in Part 2. (The full presentation was presented originally to the Z21 Task Force on January 17, 2018.)

Crescent Springs City Council is working with PDS staff to implement a key section of the 2010 Crescent Springs Gateway Study. The plan, which contains numerous recommendations on topics like streetscape to transportation, is currently being used by the city to focus on instituting zoning changes to promote economic development.

Implementation discussions began last summer to review the plan’s recommended land uses and to work towards implementing zoning revisions. Those conversations highlighted the need for more flexibility in the area through zoning for a mix of uses. City officials felt existing regulations in the area were too numerous and restrictive, leading to underutilized land. The proposed amendments will help to address issues in the area that were first formally noted in the 2010 plan.

“Working with city officials to implement some of the plan’s land use recommendations has been a great experience,” said Alex Koppelman, PDS Associate Planner. “The Mixed Commercial Zone encourages development and redevelopment with flexible regulations, allowing for a mix of commercial retail, service, and office uses while also accommodating existing residential uses.”

The city’s amendments will consolidate zoning into two zones: Mixed Commercial (MC) and Industrial Park (IP). The MC zone will include most of the uses already permitted in the current zones, lower parking minimums, and establish consistent setback and landscaping requirements. It will also allow existing single-family homes to remain in the area without facing issues of non-conformity. There are eight zoning districts currently within the approximate 44-acre area, including residential to highway commercial to office.

“It’s always exciting to see our longer-term planning efforts coming to fruition,” said James Fausz, AICP, Long Range Planning Manager for PDS. “I worked on this project during the initial study and remember the area was a challenge with lots of uses in several zones. These draft changes have the potential to provide some much-needed flexibility to allow for a more straightforward approach.”

The amendments were provided with favorable recommendations by the Kenton County Planning Commission after two public hearings. The city has adopted the text amendment to establish the MC Zone and expects to adopt the corresponding map amendment next month.

For more information about the proposed amendment, email Alex Koppelman or call him at 859.331.8980.