NEWPORT — A massive redevelopment plan that would take in much of the city has been both praised as a blueprint for Newport's future and attacked as too much “Big Brother” government.

        It calls for separate redevelopment plans for all of downtown, the entire west side, a residential area in the east side and the south Monmouth Street commercial corridor.

        Newport Planning and Development Coordinator Greg Tulley presented the basic redevelopment plan to the city commission last week, outlining steps the city should take to maintain control of development both in the commercial and residential sectors.

        City Commissioner Beth Fennell said she had concerns with the overall size of the plan and how the city would interpret “blight” as applied to residential and commercial areas.

        “It (the plan) seems a little bit Big Brotherish to me, somewhat heavy handed,” she said. “And it's such a massive area to call for redevelopment. It's most of the city.”

        Corey Siddall, a Second Street resident and frequent critic of the city's development efforts, said he had a “big problem with the city being able to use eminent domain to control large tracts of property by designating them as blighted. I believe it's already been decided (by city officials) that large areas of the city are blighted.”

        If a piece of property or a structure meets the standards of blighted, as set forth in KRS 99, the city can use eminent domain to gain control and demolish or oth erwise correct the problem.

        “The city has used eminent domain very sparingly,” Mr. Tulley said. “The Monmouth Street business district has been a redevelopment zone for about 10 years, and we've never used eminent domain there. It was used in only a few cases for the entire Third Street riverfront development that includes the Aquarium and Newport on the Levee.”

        Mr. Siddall said he thinks the city uses the threat of eminent domain as a club held over property owners to encourage them to sell.

        “You can't fight city hall,” he said. “If people think they might be involved in an eminent domain fight, they usually just give in rather than get into a court battle.”

        Mr. Tulley said the redevelopment concept is a tool for the city to use, if needed, to control how areas are developed.

        “Other than the Neyer (Properties) development at Newport Promenade, which is already in the process, there are no new development proposals for any other part of the city,” he said. “We think we should be proactive in getting a handle on this now, before developers come in with new plans.”

        The areas designated in the plan include:

        • Northwest commercial, which includes the Newport Housing Authority site. This would be similar to the approach used for the Third Street riverfront development, with acquisition and clearing of existing property. The Housing Authority is working with a $28 million Hope VI federal grant to move residents from the housing project to scattered sites through the city, after which the property will be sold. Development could be a mix of commercial, office and residential.

        • Westside commercial, which would include the old Newport Steel site along the Licking River. Possible uses would be recreational, com mercial and office.

        • Westside residential, which basically includes the entire west side of the city from Sixth Street south to 11th Street and from York Street west to the Licking River. This would be primarily stabilization of residential neighborhoods through rehabilitation and renovation, with demolition of some blighted property.

        Other sections would be the already designated Monmouth Street business district, the south Monmouth Street commercial corridor including the Newport Shopping Center, and Eastside historical residential area.

        “It appears the plan has a couple of purposes,” Ms. Fennell said. “One is to assemble property for development, and the other is to get rid of blighted properties. The determination of blight under KRS 99 is very broad and open to wide interpretation. Crime in a particular area alone could be a reason for blight designation.”

        Redevelopment zone designation has no direct impact on municipal grant applications for either state or federal development grants, which are considered individually.

        Ms. Fennell said the public needs to be involved beyond the planned series of public meetings.

        “This could affect the public greatly in years to come,” she said. “We need much more public involvement. I think we should get input from citizens before we start to draft the plans, and I've conveyed my ideas to (city manager) Phil Ciafardini.”

        Mr. Tulley has asked the city commission to approve selection of McBride Dale Clarion consultants to perform the initial study of the redevelopment plans. The company is providing a similar service for Neyer at the Newport Promenade location, and it also was the low bidder among five companies that submitted proposals.

        “The Neyer project is a perfect example of what can be accomplished,” Mr. Tulley said. “The work for Newport Promenade will correct a lot of issues, such as road reconstruction and runoff problems, that the city probably couldn't afford to do.”

        He said he hoped to have consulting work, and public meetings involving the city commission and the planning commission, completed by the end of next summer so commissioners could vote on adoption.

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