The Boone County Planning Commission unanimously backed a $100 million hotel and office complex on Houston Road in Florence.
Athena Hospitality Group needs the zoning change to build four structures on a vacant site at 3700 Houston Road: a seven-story hotel, a three-story hotel, a two-story office building and a one-story restaurant. The office building would serve as Athena's new corporate headquarters, next door to its current offices at 4750 Houston Road.
One hotel would operate as a Residence Inn for extended stays. The other would be a full-service Hilton or Marriott.
The restaurant brand has not been announced.
The commission attached conditions to its recommendation, according to Link NKY. Those include requiring landscaping along the roadway, compliance with architectural standards for the Houston-Donaldson corridor, preserving trees within 100 feet of the Interstate 71/75 right-of-way and extending Beam Boulevard to the property's eastern boundary. The commission also capped one of the hotels at five stories instead of the proposed seven.
David Whitley, representing Athena Hospitality Group at the meeting, said the company accepted the conditions. "We're in agreement with all the divisions that have been placed forward," Whitley said.
Boone County Zoning Administrator Michael Schwartz told the commission that without the rezoning, the site's commercial zoning would limit development to fast food, coffee shops, local retail or convenience stores.
The recommendation now goes to the Florence City Council, which has final authority over the zoning change because the property sits within city limits. The council meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Florence Government Center, 8100 Ewing Blvd.
The project has moved through several steps since Athena first presented its proposal at a public hearing on Aug. 5. A planning commission subcommittee recommended approval on Aug. 26.
Separately, the Florence City Council on Aug. 25 approved a memorandum of agreement with JDV Ventures LLC, a holding company associated with Athena. The council agreed to pursue industrial revenue bonds (IRBs) and a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT) agreement to help finance the project, the NKY Tribune reported.
City Administrator Josh Hunt said at the Aug. 25 council meeting that the financing agreement was separate from the zoning process. The bond arrangement would not move forward without zoning approvals, Hunt said.
Under the proposed financing structure, Florence and Boone County would each receive PILOT payments equal to 30% of their normal property tax revenues. The Boone County School District would receive 55%, according to earlier Link NKY reporting.
"This has been a long time coming," Hunt said at the Aug. 18 council meeting when the project was first presented, referring to behind-the-scenes work on the proposal.
No specific date has been confirmed for when the council will vote on the zoning change. The next scheduled council meetings fall on Sept. 8 and Sept. 22.
