Neighbors,
It appears that the city wants to develop on half of Orchard Park. This is in direct contravention of the explicit wishes of the community (per our most recent meeting with city officials regarding this matter) and the prior accepted development plan (which was to develop AROUND Orchard Park not ON it). This is the Westside's only public green space and the city wants to sacrifice half of it. The last time this was presented to us, there was virtually unanimous agreement that the community did NOT want development on the park.
Have the views of our community changed?
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AREA THE CITY REFERS TO AS THE "GREEN SPACE" AND "COMMUNITY GARDEN" IS EXACTLY THE AREA THEY ARE PLANNING ON BULLDOZING. THIS IS THE ORCHARD PARK URBAN FARM PROJECT.
This is not a new issue and a lot of input was gathered prior to the creating the earlier plan for the properties. And there are a number of complexities too. This video of the presentation to Westside neighbors by the City outlines the issues and the plan that the city and neighborhood settled on in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DtHwUmB3UXo&t=144s
If you are not OK with this change you should make your opinion known.
The email is CityCommissioners@covingtonky.gov
I (Mark Young) personally feel that this the most important issue facing our neighborhood. I am happy to discuss the issues as I understand them with anyone. I must disclose that the board has one dissenter on this matter. I am basing my position upon the last input from the neighborhood. If there has been a substantive change in the community's desires I will respect them.
From the city:
Proposals sought for 17 Westside properties
Development bids to return vacant buildings, lots to housing use
COVINGTON, Ky. – A program that has returned or is in the process of returning 44 previously vacant City-owned properties to productive use – with the goal of creating more home ownership – is seeking development proposals for its biggest assortment of properties to date.
The City is seeking buyers who want to develop 11 pieces of land and renovate six vacant brick buildings in a several-block area of the Westside neighborhood, just north of M.L. King Jr. Boulevard/12th Street. One of the buildings is grouped with the 11 parcels under one RFP (request for proposal), and the other five buildings are each under their own RFPs.
“This program has been very successful at eliminating blight, creating housing, bringing investment and energy to Covington’s neighborhoods, and – we anticipate over the long term – increasing nearby property values,” said Neighborhood Services Director Ken Smith, whose department oversees the program. “The opportunities with this list of properties are particularly interesting given their close proximity to each other.”
The proposals are due to the City by 4 p.m. May 24.
History
The goal of the program is to return to productive use vacant properties that currently are a drain on taxpayers because of the costs of upkeep, which the Covington Board of Commissioners has identified as one of its priorities.
These Westside properties were generally acquired by the City in the early 2000s under an anti-blight program, (edit: WITH FEDERAL FUNDS] and several buildings that were in the worst shape were subsequently demolished. But the City’s redevelopment goals for the parcels at the time were put on hold with the arrival of the 2008 recession and its lingering effects on City revenues and the financial markets.
However, over the last few years, Westside has seen significant investment in both commercial and residential properties, including the Kenton County Administration Building several blocks away, “and it’s time for the City to keep its original commitment to the neighborhood,” Smith said.
The proposals will be evaluated based on a number of factors, primarily the proposed developments’ contribution to the neighborhood and offered purchase price.
Neighborhood park
Recognizing that several of the vacant lots had been used as “green space” and a community garden, five nearby empty lots for which the City is not seeking proposals will be set aside for a public park. The City will work in partnership with the neighborhood to design that space, including amenities.
***EDIT: PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AREA THE CITY REFERS TO AS THE "GREEN SPACE" AND "COMMUNITY GARDEN" IS EXACTLY THE AREA THEY ARE PLANNING ON BULLDOZING. THIS IS THE ORCHARD PARK URBAN FARM PROJECT.***
The RFPs
The largest RFP consists of a one-story brick building of about 1,300 square feet at 1038 Jackson St. and 11 vacant parcels of land, all of which will be sold together. The parcels are divided into four groups consisting of lots that are adjacent to each other. The City is open to a reconfiguring or re-platting of the parcels.
The “groups:”
• Five parcels totaling about 9,000 square feet (or 0.21 acres) at 1034 and 1040 Jackson St., and 1109, 1111-15, and 1117 Locust St.
• Three parcels totaling about 5,700 square feet (or 0.13 acres) at 314, 316, and 318 Orchard St.
• Two parcels totaling about 3,100 square feet (0.07 acres) at 1104 and 1106 Locust St.
• One parcel of about 3,000 square feet (0.07 acres) at 310 Berry St.
The other five RFPs consist of individual two-story buildings:
• 301-03 Orchard St., about 1,300 square feet.
• 311-13 Berry St., about 2,000 square feet.
• 318 Berry St., about 1,200 square feet.
• 1108 Locust St., about 800 square feet.
• 1110 Locust St., about 900 square feet.
Several of the properties fall within the 12th Street Corridor Redevelopment Plan Design Overlay, which means they’re subject to certain design standards similar to those in the City’s Historic Preservation Overlay Zones. Details are in the RFPs.
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