A 17-unit apartment project on Ireland Avenue in Crescent Springs is back before the city council after the developer sued over the council's rejection last year, and residents are again pushing back on traffic, drainage and landscaping concerns.
The Crescent Springs City Council reviewed conditions on the revised concept plan for 620–632 Ireland Avenue at its Aug. 25 meeting, according to LINK nky. A vote on the development conditions is scheduled for the Sept. 28 council meeting.
The project, proposed by Ross Kreutzjans on behalf of Ireland Development LLC, calls for two multi-family buildings with a total of 17 units on roughly 1.09 acres at the northeast corner of Ireland Avenue and Harris Street. Each unit would have rear-entry two-car garages and walk-out access onto Ireland Avenue, a key change from the prior plan that routed access through Harris Street.
Litigation forced a second look
The council voted 4-2 in November 2025 to reject the original concept plan, despite the Kenton County Planning Commission having approved it in September 2025. Council members Jeannine Bell Smith, Jeff Smith, Don Kiely and Mark Wurtenberger voted against the project; Bob Mueller and Carol McGowan voted in favor.
Kreutzjans sued. He filed in Kenton Circuit Court (Case No. 25-CI-2906), and on July 27 the council took up the first reading of Ordinance 2026-9, which would authorize the mayor to enter a settlement agreement and approve the revised plan, according to the council agenda.
Residents press for protections
At the Aug. 25 review, residents asked the developer and council to address construction-phase impacts.
"We would like silt fencing so it doesn't run down the street or get tracked into our houses," said resident Dawn Johnson.
Neighbors also questioned whether the retention pond would be properly maintained after construction and whether proposed tree screening would adequately buffer adjacent properties. The developer said the landscaping plan would exceed what zoning regulations require and that drainage would comply with Sanitation District 1 requirements.
City staff pushes back on some conditions
City Administrator Mike Daly advised council in a July 23 memo that staff does not recommend requiring a left-turn-only exit from the development onto Ireland Avenue, finding no basis to impose such a condition on a public street. Daly's memo also noted the detention basin will not carry a separate maintenance agreement; the property owner will be responsible for ongoing inspection and maintenance per SD1 standards.
On screening, Daly wrote that the development must comply with the city's Z21 Zoning Ordinance buffering requirements and that imposing additional conditions on a single project could result in inconsistent application of land-use regulations.
What's next
The council will vote on the development conditions at its Sept. 28 meeting. The outcome will determine whether the settlement moves forward and the project proceeds. Residents can attend the meeting or contact council members before the vote.
