COVINGTON — City Commission asked the state Transportation Cabinet on Tuesday to pay for a development plan for a six-block area of 12th Street east of Interstate 75.

        The state and city have been discussing improvements to 12th Street, a major gateway to the city from the expressway, for several years.

        The city wants authority to manage and oversee the plan.

        The city also wants the state to consider these five issues:

        • Widening sidewalks on the north side of 12th Street.

        • Creating an access road from 12th to the intersection of Euclid and Jefferson streets.

        • Expanding the area being developed to include Watkins Street.

        • Toughening design standards for whatever buildings go into the 12th Street corridor.

        • Creating a linear park from I-75 to Lee Street.

        Commissioner J.T. Spence said the five issues should not be too specific now because too much detail could affect potential income.

        “Let's not go into the development plan narrowly focused on what's going into (12th Street),” he said. “The development plan will let everyone have a say in what's going in there.”

        An item that wasn't included in the nearly 90-minute discussion before Tuesday's resolutions were passed — whether to move several buildings on the south side of 12th farther off the street — generated as much discussion as what was.

        One possibility being discussed calls for chopping off the rear of the buildings and moving them 30-35 feet. Covington resident and former state legislator Joe Meyer said residents don't want to save any buildings.

        “We don't believe a building on the south side of 12th Street is worth saving,” Mr. Meyer said.

        State officials and a committee consisting of residents and Commissioners Craig Bohman and Mr. Spence will conduct a public meeting at 7 p.m. tonight at Howard Hall on East 11th Street.

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