RICHWOOD, Ky. — A proposal to build a five-story hotel near the Triple Crown subdivision has sparked debate over building height, traffic concerns and the project’s fit within a rapidly developing area along Richwood Road.
At a meeting on May 20, the Boone County Fiscal Court debated a hotel project proposed for a nearly 20-acre parcel located along the northeast side of Paddock Drive, between Richwood Road and Stirrup Lane.
The developer, Florence-based Richwood Development LLC, wants to build a five-story, 99,500-square-foot, 150-room hotel on the property. Richwood Development is seeking a zoning map amendment to change the property’s zoning designation from “Employment Planned Development” to “Commercial Three.”
In addition, the zoning amendment includes an attached variance that would increase the maximum height of the hotel from 50 to 70 feet.
In April, the Boone County Planning Commission recommended approval of the zoning map amendment request with a near-unanimous vote.
The planning commission is recommending approval with a 12 to 1 vote. Boone County planner Steve Lilly said the commission concluded that the proposed zone change was consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan.
However, the plan has received pushback from members of the public who have taken issue with the hotel’s proposed height. Lilly shared feedback from a public hearing held on Feb. 5, where opponents of the project expressed concern over the hotel’s height, saying that five stories felt excessive for the Richwood Road area.
“Opponents at the public hearing stated that the hotel should stay at a maximum of 50 feet in height,” Lilly said.
The property is located near two other hotels, Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn, which are both three stories in height. Moreover, the fiscal court approved a zoning map amendment on May 6 for a neighboring property where the developer plans on constructing a four-story, 109-room Home2 Suites.
Furthermore, residents shared concerns over the hotel’s potentially negative impact on traffic in the area. The property is located near a busy ramp off Interstate-75. Sheila Scalf, who addressed the court during the meeting, worried that increased traffic would decrease the quality of life for residents who live in subdivisions near the area.
“We have all these problems going on, and then now we’re going to have a lot more vehicles there,” she said.
However, proponents of the project feel that the hotel would add to the area by revamping a vacant property. Additionally, the planning commission previously concluded that the hotel would increase lodging capacity for tourists visiting nearby attractions, including The Creation Museum, Big Bone Lick State Park, Rabbit Hash and Turfway Park.
“The property has been vacant, and the hotel could be the first project to generate a mix of needed commercial development,” Lilly said.
The property has a prior history with zone change amendments. In January 2024, the planning commission rejected a proposal, with a 7 to 6 vote, that would have led to the construction of 312 multi-family dwelling units.
Viox & Viox landscape architect Brock MacKay, who represented the developers, offered strategies to ease concerns over the hotel’s height, including utilizing an existing 20-foot berm and vegetation as a natural buffer between the hotel and nearby residential properties.
Brian Davis, a commercial real estate advisor who also represented the developers, said they could contact Marriott, the hotel franchise, to see if they’d be open to reducing the hotel to four stories.
Commissioner Chet Hand said he preferred the hotel to be four stories because it would have less of a negative impact on the nearby residential neighborhoods.
“I think a four-story hotel in this area would be a lot more tolerable given the new conditions that exist than a five-story hotel,” he said.
While a first reading regarding the zone change was listed on the meeting’s agenda, the fiscal court voted to remove the item, instead opting to take action at the upcoming meeting on June 3. The fiscal court has all final decision-making power on zone changes in unincorporated Boone County.
This story originally appeared on our partner's website LINK nky.
