BOONE COUNTY

Florence City Council waits to move on storage facility

Sarah Brookbank
sbrookbank@communitypress.com

FLORENCE – A self-storage business hoping to develop empty land where Florence Nursery once stood hit a roadblock at Florence City Council on Tuesday night.

The 5.2-acre lot off of U.S. 42 has been empty for a number of years since the nursery shut down. The land, near the Florence Senior Center, is an “eyesore,” according to council member David Osborne who supports the project.

The council’s planning and zoning committee presented its recommendations after meeting with Imbus Enterprises. The committee had come to no consensus for the development plan but had a list of recommendations to adopt before the project would move on

The list of recommendations involved creating a more pleasing exterior with natural color tones and upgraded siding, high-end light fixtures and decorative fencing if it is to be seen from the road.

Imbus has four storage facilities in Ohio. While most of the council has faith in the developers, they aren’t sold on the location.

“I didn’t feel that this project in this part of Florence was right,” said council member Gary Winn.

Duane Froelicher agreed, saying he would rather have a project that complemented the city center.

Mike Duncan, an attorney with Ziegler and Schneider, represented Imbus at the meeting and reminded that council that the Boone County Planning Commission had said it would be good for the city.

“This plan was proposed as a Cadillac … with those extra recommendations it is moving into Mercedes and Bentley territory,” Duncan said.

The council did not move the project forward, but made a motion to have the city attorney to present more facts and findings. The presentation will take place at the next meeting on March 8.