Residents press Fort Thomas for design-review training, zoning review and National Register consideration

Residents at a Fort Thomas City Council meeting urged the city to provide immediate training on local historic-district design guidelines and to consider nominating the Central Business District for the National Register of Historic Places.

Sharon McKnight, who identified herself as a resident at 62 Miller Lane, told council members: "This lack of training is not only a disservice to applicants, but to the entire community." She said the design review board, planning commission and staff have not been trained to apply the city’s design-review rules under ordinance 36.015 and that decisions at recent review meetings illustrate the gap.

The issue matters, residents said, because the city’s locally protected historic districts are governed by design-review rules intended to preserve the character of those areas. McKnight also urged council to pursue listing the Central Business District on the National Register of Historic Places, saying federal listing would "open up tax credits for anybody who’s in the district" and help with rehabilitation funding.

City staff responded that training is now planned. Council and staff said they met with Wes Cunningham, who is preparing "two to three, two-hour" training sessions for the Design Review Board and other relevant staff; those sessions are expected to be offered during DRB nights if agendas allow. Council members said the targeted trainings should begin in the coming months.

Residents also pressed the council about the comprehensive plan and zoning. Peggy Maggio (37 South Shore Lane) and others said the zoning section needs revision and stronger citizen involvement. Staff said a meeting on the process was scheduled the week after the council meeting with staff and consultants and that the city will follow up on how the zoning portion will be revised. A council member said regular surveys and a review cadence—surveying prior to five-year reviews—would help tie resident input into future comp-plan work.

What the city will do next: staff committed to scheduling the DRB trainings prepared by Wes Cunningham and to circulate a plan for how the city will approach revisions to the zoning portion of the comprehensive plan; residents said they will follow up with the council on proposed edits and participation.

Ending: Council members asked that staff keep the public informed about timing; residents said they will check back in a few months to track training and the comp-plan review process.