PARK HILLS — The mayor of this suburb wants Park Hills to “Just Say No” to porno.

        In a flier he passed out this week, Park Hills Mayor Michael Hellmann asked residents to “help us keep Park Hills pornography free.” The flier asks recipients to attend the Aug. 1 meeting of the Kenton County & Municipal Planning and Zoning Commission to express concerns about a proposed zone change.

IF YOU GO

What: Meeting of the Kenton County and Municipal Planning and Zoning Commission to discuss zone change allowing adult businesses to operate.    When: 6:15 p.m. Aug. 1    Where: Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission offices, 2330 Royal Drive, Fort Mitchell

        He's asking residents to protest Covington's attempt to rezone a 37-acre site at the end of Mount Allen Road to allow sexually oriented businesses. The hilltop site, which includes Northern Kentucky University campus buildings, borders Park Hills.

        The mayor was unavailable for comment on the issue Tuesday, but officials at the city building confirmed he sent the flier out.

        Covington officials want to rezone the site bordering Park Hills, as well as 78 acres along both sides of Mary Laidley Road in the southern part of Covington, to urban industrial/technology, a new zone that would allow sexually oriented businesses as one of eight specific use categories.

        “We cannot allow this invasion of the integrity of our city to succeed,” the Park Hills' mayor's flier said. “Please help keep our children safe from this danger.”

        Covington City Solicitor Jay Fossett said city officials sympathize with the Park Hills mayor, but he added they are legally required to designate zones where sexually oriented businesses such as strip clubs and adult bookstores can operate.

        He said the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that sexually oriented businesses are protected under the First Amendment and that cities must designate areas where they can operate. “All I can say is that we suspect no matter where we say (this zone) should go, people will be upset about it,” Mr. Fossett said. “But we're under obligation to find a place for sexually oriented businesses.”

        Joe Shields, a father of four young boys who is one of about 40 homeowners on Mount Allen Road, said he's concerned about additional traffic on his residential street as well as how potential adult businesses at the end of a residential street would affect property values.

        “It's just a really idiotic idea,” Mr. Shields said. “They're trying to solve their zoning problem (in Covington) on the backs of Park Hills.”

        Last year, Covington officials proposed allowing sexually oriented businesses in downtown Covington. But that proposal created such an uproar from merchants and residents that the city pulled back. It appointed a panel of residents and business people to study the issue.

        That group recommended last October that adult businesses be located in industrial zones. City officials then spent months creating a zone that would allow such businesses and searching for possible sites.

        Permitting sexually oriented businesses in a particular zone doesn't mean they'll necessarily locate there, Mr. Fossett said. Property owners could decide against selling to the owner of a sexually oriented business, he said.

        “Obviously, the city's preference would be that (such areas) be developed as manufacturing and pharmaceutical-type (businesses),” Mr. Fossett said. He added some sort of physical buffer would likely be required between urban industrial/technology zones bordering residential areas.

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