Bill Goetz: Addressing the Park Hills zoning discord
Based upon my past experience in local government and in the planning and zoning process I feel compelled to comment on the discord that has taken place about the proposed residential development in Park Hills.
Let me start off by saying that a comment was made that Park Hills should drop out of PDSKC as a means of correcting situations like this. The Planning and Development Services of Kenton County (PDSKC), formerly NKAPC, has no control over issues like this and such a recommendation is absolutely ridiculous.
The city has no control over the approval of new subdivisions as long as they meet the legal guidelines set forth in the Subdivision Regulations of Kenton County. The Subdivision Regulations are created by the Kenton County Planning Commission (KCPC) and the City has no control over them. That authority has been vested in KCPC by Chapter 100 of the Kentucky Revised Statutes and cannot be changed by any city. And, once the regulations have been set by KCPC they have no right to reject an application submitted by the developer as long as it meets the Subdivision Regulations and the Zoning Ordinance of the city. So, KCPC is not at fault as they only did their job as prescribed by law. And since apparently the proposed project meets the zoning requirements of the city there is nothing the city can do to stop or force a change in the proposed development. The city is not at fault because there was no possible action they could take to deny or alter the project.
Any property owner, in this case a developer, has the legal right to develop his property as long as it meets all of the legal requirements set forth by the KCPC and the city, and that appears to be the situation in this case. The city and residents can ask the property owner to make changes to the development but he does not have to do any of the requested changes. Residents who enjoy the luxury of having undeveloped land adjacent to their property must realize that they do not own that property and there is always the possibility or even the probability that it will be developed.
From my observation it would seem that if the city or any citizen group tries to prevent the development in question the only winners will be the attorneys.
Perhaps there needs to be changes made to the existing regulations to possibly lessen such conflicts in the future. One of the major causes of such conflict appears to be the situation where a developer buys property on a residential street in order to gain access from his development to that street. And, under current regulations there is nothing that can be done to prevent such a move, and there may be no way to prevent such legally. Fort Mitchell recently encountered a similar problem but to a lesser extent.
I personally believe that nothing can be done to stop the development in question in Park Hills, but I do believe there are two things that can be done to possibly help ease such discord in the future.
First of all, it is a common problem that the majority of local elected officials do not fully understand the entire planning and zoning process and often many don’t appear interested in learning that process. Every possible effort should be made to educate those officials on the process. That would certainly help to eliminate many of the comments made and taken by local officials based upon lack of knowledge.
Secondly, working through the Mayors’ Group, or perhaps even more appropriately through the PDSKC Council, I believe the local officials need to convene a committee to review and evaluate the current regulations to see if there are any changes that can legally be made to address situations such as these in the future and then to pursue these changes if appropriate. As I noted one of the biggest problems seems to occur when a developer acquires already platted or developed property on a residential street to install a street to gain access to his development. The same applies to individual property owners doing the same thing in order to create and gain access to “flag” lots, a process that has affected me personally. Any such changes would require the involvement of the KCPC when changes to the Subdivision Regulations would be required.
It is definitely not my intent to be critical of the City of and the elected officials in Park Hills as they could have done nothing to legally change or alter the development in question. And I am afraid if any attempts are made to stop the project in question, it will only result in unnecessary legal bills.
Bill Goetz
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Rustin Terry decries political contribution from Epipen maker
Dear NKyTribune Editor,
Addia Wuchner has dirty campaign money from Epipen maker Mylan.
Campaign financing from unethical corporations has no place in Northern Kentucky politics.
Kentucky State Representative Addia Wuchner’s largest donor is the big pharma Epipen maker Mylan. The maker of the Epipen was recently fined nearly half a billion dollars after price gouging the lifesaving allergy medication. The price of the Epipen was increased 500 percent from just a few years earlier. Many children with severe allergies rely on reasonably priced Epipens for their health.
I am asking Rep. Addia Wuchner (R) to return the money given to her by this unethical pharma company and refuse any future donations from them.
Northern Kentucky prides itself on the integrity of our representatives. Please do not let this dirty money become the norm for Northern Kentucky politics. We are too good for this.
Sincerely,
Rustin Terry
Boone County resident and concerned parent
Source: Votesmart
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Shelley Frommeyer praises Gateway
How do you win friends, influence people, and make a difference in peoples’ lives? Host a RiverBlast around Labor Day fireworks at the Newport Aquarium with your friends from St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Duke Energy, Regal Manufacturing, ORI Office Resources, Bilz Insurance and welcome to town our New President, Dr. Fernando Figueroa!
We are surrounded by treasures and Gateway Community and Technical College is one of them.
Over 240 of us gathered September 4th to celebrate and raise money for the ‘Gateway Workforce Training Scholarship Fund”. The evening was a great success as an indication by the community leaders present and the energy towards Gateway’s strategy of Make Change Happen. The event netted over $36,000 that will go directly to workforce training scholarships.
Frommeyer/
Our new President is spending countless hours with Students, Faculty, Staff and the business community with a goal of raising the personal standard of living and the economy of Northern Kentucky. He is very optimistic about our future and so am I. Elizabeth is the perfect example of a Gateway student who is changing her life with the help of a scholarship and innovative Raise the Floor program that supports women in manufacturing. She shared her story with us last month at RiverBlast. She along with the thousands of other Gateway students are an inspiration to me and why I choose to dedicate my time as a Gateway Foundation Board Member.
As an advocate for our community, a bonus mother of a recent Gateway Welding Graduate that can barely get a day off of work, and a believer that we can all be part of the solution- consider Gateway as another great option in your Northern Kentucky Treasure Box.
Shelley Funke Frommeyer
Financial Advisor at Waddell & Reed
Gateway Foundation Board Member
