Park Hills' stretch of Dixie getting closer look

The Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC) has been asked to assist the City of Park Hills in an examination of the Dixie Highway corridor, as recommended by the Comprehensive Plan Update 2006: An Area-Wide Vision for Kenton County.

The Park Hills Dixie Study will utilize the NKAPC's Small Area Study process, which includes monthly meetings between NKAPC staff and the study's 15-member task force, interviews with key stakeholders, and three public meetings. The process is designed to allow participants to clearly understand the intent of the plan and the actions necessary to accomplish the recommendations.

According to NKAPC associate planner for long range planning Jenna Haverkos, it's a comprehensive approach to planning at a neighborhood level, where research and public input are focused on the needs of the area.

"The process is intended to create a plan that will be more readily implemented because the public and decision makers have gone through the preparation process together for an area they easily identify with versus the entire county scope of the comprehensive plan," she says.

The Park Hills Dixie Study launched with its first public meeting in late January, and the next public meeting is scheduled for April.

As of yet, the final goals and recommendations of the study are yet to be determined.

"Staff is working with the task force to review public comments from the first public meeting and work toward a vision for the area," Haverkos says.  "Once this vision is decided, the task force will move forward toward alternatives for the area and eventually craft recommendations for the study area."

If the city chooses to adopt the study, it will be forwarded to the NKAPC for a recommendation to the Kenton County Planning Commission, who may choose to include it in the countywide comprehensive plan.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Jenna Haverkos, associate planner/long range planning, Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission