What is composed of 256 square miles, including 33 miles of interstate highway and 42 miles of river frontage? If you answered “Boone County”, you are correct! Kevin Costello of the Boone County Planning Commission shared these facts during a recent presentation to the Florence Rotary Club.
Costello highlighted the 2010 Boone County Comprehensive Plan, along with the 2035 Future Land Use Map. “The county is still growing,” he said. “The 2010 census shows a population of 118,811, but the next census is expected to show 125,000 or more people living in Boone County.”
Residential construction has slowed in recent years, from a high of 100 – 150 homes being built monthly, to 30 – 40 per month now. However, the inventory of existing homes is being used up, especially in the Richwood and Union areas, creating a need for more new home construction.
Commercial development is expanding, still in the Mall Road and Houston Road areas, but also now around the newly opened Aero Parkway and Ted Bushelman Boulevard. The new Kroger Marketplace on Mall Road will create new opportunities for expansion in Florence. Cargo activity has grown immensely at CVG airport, primarily due to the influx of flights for DHL.
Road construction will continue to focus on high traffic areas like the Route 18/Route 237 interchange and improving traffic flow at the I-75 exits for Richwood and Mt. Zion Roads.
The opening of Thornwilde Elementary School and the addition to Cooper High School will complete the current school building projects. The number of students entering the Boone County School System is flattening from a high of 800 new students per year, to about 150 -200 per year.
“The 2035 Future Land Use Map is a tool for the management of growth and development in Boone County,” Costello said, “and there are several tracts of land that could be used for new projects.” He mentioned Turfway Park Race Track, which has been studied for use as a casino, racino, NBA arena, or multi-media entertainment center. The racetrack and nearby St. Elizabeth Hospital have a combined 1800 acres between them and are valued at $660 million.
The 500 – 600 acres of the former Marydale Retreat Center may also be available for future development as a mixed use residential and business community. There could also be a continuation of the sidewalk on Aero Parkway, creating a 22 mile loop around the airport.
Several road upgrades will be needed for many of proposed developments, and Costello shared a new term that will likely be even more common in the future: S.P.U.I., pronounced “spooey”. The acronym stands for Single Point Urban Interchange, and describes the continuous traffic flow of the Route 18/Route 237 re-design project.
Costello sees many positive benefits for Boone County on the horizon. “The good news is,” he said, “there’s been a lot of activity in the last two years, and more in the pipeline, particularly in business development and related job creation.”
For information about weekly meetings, guest speakers and community service opportunities of the Florence Rotary Club, contact Brad Shipe, President, at bradshipe@hotmail.com or (859) 282-7040. Visit the group’s web site at www.florencerotary.org . Florence Rotary meets weekly on Mondays at noon at the Airport Hilton Hotel in Florence.
