Fort Thomas planning commission begins multi‑month update of city comprehensive plan

The Fort Thomas Planning Commission on April 16 began a multi‑month review of the city’s comprehensive plan, agreeing to validate the 2018 plan’s research and to return next month with proposed map updates and supplemental data before a public hearing and formal action.

The commission’s opening discussion, led by Kevin Barbian, planning staff, emphasized that the comprehensive‑plan update is a periodic review required every five years under Kentucky law and is expected to be completed through staged meetings, an addendum (if needed) and a public hearing. “This process is going to take a few months. So we're going to have another meeting next month, hopefully, on this, and then we'll have a public hearing,” Barbian said.

Why it matters: The comprehensive plan guides long‑range land use, transportation, parks and community facilities decisions. Commissioners framed the current work as a validation of prior research rather than a wholesale rewrite; changes would be targeted to maps and specific elements that no longer reflect conditions on the ground.

Key outcomes and next steps - The commission voted, by voice, to approve the March meeting minutes. The motion and second were recorded; the meeting transcript records the ayes but does not list…