Comments from the Director

Welcome. Thanks for checking out our web site. My staff and I work diligently to keep our online presence up to date as part of our mission in this community. We hope that you find this site to be both informational and useful and that you’ll share with us any ideas you have for improving it.

As you’ll see throughout this site, the NKAPC staff holds a number of responsibilities critical to the health, safety, and welfare of Northern Kentucky and its citizens. How has this impacted you?

Do you live in a home or work in a building constructed in Campbell or Kenton Counties over the last decade? Chances are the plans for that structure were reviewed by, and construction of it inspected by the NKAPC building codes administration department. Very few services government provides are as important to individual health, safety, and welfare as the consumer protection responsibilities contained in the uniform state-wide building code. As ideas become plans and plans become structures, our certified building and electric inspectors work with those involved to assure the final product meets the minimum standards prescribed by the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Have you needed emergency services (fire or police) in Campbell, Kenton, or Pendleton Counties over the past several years? Do your children ride a school bus to get to their schools? Does your home in Campbell, or Kenton Counties have a street address? If you answered ‘yes’ to any one of these questions, you’ve been touched by NKAPC’s GIS administration department. Since the mid-1980’s, our geographic information system (GIS) has led the way for innovation in computerized mapping services. Today, the system is used routinely for routing emergency services and public school buses. Its web component assists citizens and businesses with geographic-based information. And, its most critical data provide support for the area’s utilities and Homeland Security efforts.

Do you live in a subdivision developed and built in Campbell, Kenton, or Pendleton Counties or Cold Spring during the past 15 years? If so, your interests have been the focus of the NKAPC infrastructure engineering department. Since its earliest years of existence, NKAPC’s engineering staff has reviewed plans for subdividing land as well as for the streets and sidewalks that were to be constructed. Since the early 1990s this responsibility has included inspecting this infrastructure to assure the final product meets the minimum standards prescribed by the respective local subdivision regulations.

Do you live in a home or shop in a commercial center or work in an office setting built in Campbell or Kenton Counties during the past four decades? If you do, chances are that its initial plans were approved through the NKAPC current planning department. Since 1961, the members and staff of the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission have guided the growth and development of this community. That meant making recommendations on proposed zoning map amendments in the early days. Today, it also means coordinating activities with the NKAPC building codes administration, GIS administration, infrastructure engineering, and long-range planning teams to assure that the benefits of new growth outweigh the negatives.

Do you use a wireless phone in Northern Kentucky? Do your children attend a school in Kenton County? Do you use the services of the Kenton County Library? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you’ve used a service whose site approval was directed by a product of NKAPC’s long-range planning department. Do you travel the KY17/Madison Pike corridor on a regular basis? Would you like to see more jobs created in central and southern Kenton County? Answering ‘yes’ to these questions indicates you share a concern with our long-range planning staff that identifies and analyzes issues facing the community and then crafts plans that will help in realizing its goals.

I’d be remiss in closing if I didn’t point out the single premise on which these and our other responsibilities take place. It’s called service, and it’s the single most important reason we exist. As you review information on this web site or stop by our offices in Fort Mitchell, I ask that you keep this fact in mind. Speak up. Ask your questions. Provide us with your opinions. Your time and thoughts will always be appreciated.

Thanks again for logging on. Feel free to drop me an email message and let me know what you think about our site and how we can improve it to serve you better.

Dennis Andrew Gordon, FAICP
Executive Director