July 14, 20213 yr 19 hours ago, ucgrady said: Does anyone know anything about this guy proposing an observation tower and/or "cathedral of culture" at the former IRS site? It seems pretty heavy handed but I'm curious what others think. It doesn't appear to have any connection the official city/developer proposal and I can't find out who the guy is or what his connection to Covington is. Person from Northern Kentucky goes to Seattle once.
July 14, 20213 yr Seems outdated because at the end it talks like the IRS hasn't been acquired yet. I like the idea of an observation tower, but we saw this act 20+ years ago in Newport. Interesting there is a people mover included with a loop to Cincy and NP. The high-rise designs are attractive for their glass construction but those vast plazas and setbacks are horribly suburban. There's more: And:
July 19, 20213 yr agree with the earlier comments - no need for an observatory - just go up to devou for an overlook of the city... infill the grid back to some semblance of an urban grid and bring back a neighborhood.
July 23, 20213 yr So Mr. Teubner presented his idea today to the city of Covington, various elected officials and local groups all day today where he was set up in the marriot Rivercenter. The presentation material all included Neyer’s logo on it and it was being touted as an alternative proposal for the IRS site because the catalytic fund and other local developers “don’t like the current plans” (not sure if that’s true that’s just what he said). Long story short I can’t tell if anyone was taking the proposal seriously but with the audience of decision makers he was given and the Neyer logo I’m afraid some people are, and like the Eastern bypass people, I worry that if nothing else this will just turn into a distraction which delays the actual plans.
July 23, 20213 yr Those videos are horrendous, did anyone else notice 75% of the cars were from the 30s thru the 60s?
July 23, 20213 yr 11 hours ago, The_Cincinnati_Kid said: Those videos are horrendous, did anyone else notice 75% of the cars were from the 30s thru the 60s? The pic of Marilyn Monroe at thew beginning and the music that sounds like it should be in a commercial for kids jungle gyms.
July 23, 20213 yr those renderings are an absolute disgrace, and if I were presented with this in any official capacity, I would actively stop paying attention at the completely irrelevant Marilyn (seriously, what in the hell does that have to do with anything that has ever or will ever happen in the tri-state area?) Monroe image on the title screen.
July 23, 20213 yr 22 minutes ago, zsnyder said: those renderings are an absolute disgrace, and if I were presented with this in any official capacity, I would actively stop paying attention at the completely irrelevant Marilyn (seriously, what in the hell does that have to do with anything that has ever or will ever happen in the tri-state area?) Monroe image on the title screen. Seriously hoping this was someones fun side project, or a college students thesis project. I really hope a design firm didnt produce these renderings or video. If so it might be time to hang it up.
July 23, 20213 yr Does this guy have a side hustle as an observation tower contractor? On his website he also has a video for one on the other side of the river.
July 23, 20213 yr those renderings are an absolute disgrace, and if I were presented with this in any official capacity, I would actively stop paying attention at the completely irrelevant Marilyn (seriously, what in the hell does that have to do with anything that has ever or will ever happen in the tri-state area?) Monroe image on the title screen. like a candle in the wind.
July 26, 20213 yr On 7/23/2021 at 11:11 AM, seaswan said: Does this guy have a side hustle as an observation tower contractor? On his website he also has a video for one on the other side of the river. That seems to be what this is all about...
July 26, 20213 yr On 7/22/2021 at 9:41 PM, ucgrady said: Long story short I can’t tell if anyone was taking the proposal seriously but with the audience of decision makers he was given and the Neyer logo I’m afraid some people are, and like the Eastern bypass people, I worry that if nothing else this will just turn into a distraction which delays the actual plans. Unfortunately I think there are a lot of City Council members and Mayors in a lot of cities that get mesmerized by these kinds of flashy ideas. That's why impractical ideas like the Boring Company tunnels keep getting taken seriously. I really hope that Covington doesn't go this direction.
October 19, 20213 yr https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/10/18/cti-expansion-manufacturing.html Wonder if the old IRS site would work?
October 19, 20213 yr 29 minutes ago, Ucgrad2015 said: Wonder if the old IRS site would work? There certainly is enough space on the IRS site to accomodate it... but just for context 40,000 sq ft is not actually that large. It's roughly the size of the existing daycare on Madison Ave. So it wouldn't do much to "fill" that site.
October 20, 20213 yr 19 hours ago, Miami-Erie said: Does anyone know where the IRS site is in its development process? Last I heard was the city was working on getting bids for the asbestos abatement. Its the first step in the demolition process of the old building. Gotta get all the asbestos out before it can come down.
November 4, 20213 yr Covington selects project manager for 23-acre IRS site development The city of Covington has selected a global consulting firm with a Greater Cincinnati presence to oversee the work of preparing the 23-acre former IRS site for private development. J.S. Held LLC, which specializes in technical, scientific, financial and advisory services, will serve as the city’s project manager on the massive development. The company has performed or is performing similar work for several projects in Covington, including the expansion of Hotel Covington on Madison Avenue and construction of the John R. Green Lofts in MainStrasse Village. The firm also is working on other massive commercial real estate projects in the region, including the renovation of Newport on the Levee and Factory 52 in Norwood. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/11/03/covington-selects-js-held.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
November 4, 20213 yr Too much surface parking! Not enough height and density! This is a once in a century opportunity; don't screw it up, Covington!
November 4, 20213 yr 7 minutes ago, taestell said: Too much surface parking! Not enough height and density! This is a once in a century opportunity; don't screw it up, Covington! Is the site plan finalized? The article implies that J.S. Held can begin on the streets/layout: Engineering and design of horizontal infrastructure, which includes restoration of the street grid, sidewalks, water and sewer lines, storm drainage systems, gas, electric and communications. But later the article refers to the "conceptual plans created by Atlanta-based Cooper Carry"... which sounds like nothing has been done since those conceptual plans came out in July of 2019.
November 4, 20213 yr Preferred plan is on this document: https://www.covingtonky.gov/Portals/covingtonky/Government/The IRS Site/Documents/PART 2_2020_02_28_Final Draft IRS report.pdf?ver=R0M7QhLLy6iKF2x2x13uuA%3d%3d www.cincinnatiideas.com
November 4, 20213 yr I don't like how that chosen version connects to the levee wall by building up on a parking garage like Newport on the Levee. Making Rivercenter Blvd die into a garage instead of continuing to connect East/West across the site and under the Clay Wade reminds me of how in Newport Dave Cowens runs directly into the garage meaning that all the normal Route 8 traffic is forced to turn left onto Washington then right onto 3rd street. The main problem with the IRS site is that the street grid was destroyed, so I think trying to fix it by also wrecking the Rivercenter portion of the street grid is three steps forward, one step back.
November 4, 20213 yr I agree with @taestellthat I'm a bit worried by having too much green/open space (if there aren't enough people to keep spaces activated), and I'd like to see taller buildings and more density than what's shown in the renderings... but for better or worse, it doesn't seem like any funding or designs of actual buildings are part of this phase. So my main questions/concerns are about the proposed street gride. 12 minutes ago, ucgrady said: I don't like how that chosen version connects to the levee wall by building up on a parking garage like Newport on the Levee. Making Rivercenter Blvd die into a garage instead of continuing to connect East/West across the site and under the Clay Wade reminds me of how in Newport Dave Cowens runs directly into the garage meaning that all the normal Route 8 traffic is forced to turn left onto Washington then right onto 3rd street. The main problem with the IRS site is that the street grid was destroyed, so I think trying to fix it by also wrecking the Rivercenter portion of the street grid is three steps forward, one step back. I see what you're saying... but I also understand why they're suggesting this approach. If they kept Rivercenter Blvd as is and built the site at the grade of the existing IRS building, the site would feel (as it does now) disconnected from the River, staring at the back side of the levee (at least as a pedestrian on the sidewalk). Or perhaps I'm misunderstanding your feedback. How would you envision getting "up and over the levee"? I didn't realize it at first glance, but traveling on the new 3rd street from east-to-west, you'll start at existing grade at Washington (498') then rise up to the elevation of the top of the levee (~508') and then drop back down to Johnson (494'). I think that makes sense and allows for a "stair free" connection to the top of the levee. @ucgrady- would you like to see Rivercenter Blvd be treated like the new 3rd street, rising up the level of the levee?
November 5, 20213 yr I like the gates on Madison Ave (though that stretch of Madison has zero programming which I don't like), when you're walking/driving on Madison in Covington it looks like it continues all the way through to Race street in Cincinnati. I guess I would like the levee wall to be the thin concrete wall built into the base of whatever buildings are placed on that side and the street continuing through the levee with gates that only need to be closed a couple times a year at most. All of this is dependent on what kind of park or green space is on the other side of the levee and maybe the solution of raising the street level up to the top of the levee is correct, I just know that I don't like how it was handled at Newport on the Levee or how it's going to be handled at Ovation. The parking should be built by each developer under their own buildings along with street retail just like any other location in town and not subsidized/built by Covington. Covington doesn't have the funds or county/city split responsibility that the Banks has and I just think the government required funding to raise the whole level up will delay this project further given Covington's situation. Build back the street grid, work with the Army Corps on a new gate through the levee, and sell the properties off to developers.
November 5, 20213 yr I can see that this is going to be under processed with small buildings. You can drive outside of the metro area and see this same type of development that is being envisioned. There is a pent-up demand for downtown living and Covington has an opportunity to give into this demand. There should be high-rise apartment/condo towers lining any park put in the Covington riverfront area. With the park directly below with direct access and the downtown views of Cincinnati, this would be a very desired area for residential. Keep all office and retail behind the area. Covington has the ability to leap forward with this opportunity, but I fear it is going to be missed by looking at what has been presented so far.
December 2, 20213 yr Covington needs a firm to demolish, clean up 23-acre IRS site The city of Covington is looking for companies to demolish the 23-acre former IRS site that is expected to become a massive, mixed-use redevelopment opportunity. The city released a request for proposals on Nov. 30 seeking companies to demolish the site and address its environmental challenges. Proposals are due by noon on Dec. 29. City Manager Ken Smith said the city hopes to award a contract within a few weeks after that. “We’re eager to get this project started,” Smith said in a news release. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2021/12/01/covington-irs-demolition-rfp.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 2, 20223 yr IRS finally getting ready for demo. City voted 5-0 to approve O'Rourke to start demo on April 12th, with all work to be finished by October 17th. Not sure what the delay was but I can't wait till this is all ready for development. https://www.covingtonky.gov/news/2022/02/02/orourke-wrecking-to-demolish-irs-site
February 3, 20223 yr 18 hours ago, ucgrady said: IRS finally getting ready for demo. City voted 5-0 to approve O'Rourke to start demo on April 12th, with all work to be finished by October 17th. Not sure what the delay was but I can't wait till this is all ready for development. https://www.covingtonky.gov/news/2022/02/02/orourke-wrecking-to-demolish-irs-site City was still awaiting final EPA approvals and to make sure that O'Rourke had all the proper qualifications for the asbestos, lead, and hazardous materials demolition and clean up. This can take awhile with a lot of WFH still happening in government agencies. Have to make sure everything is good to go before proceeding. There is a lot of hazardous waste in that building...
February 3, 20223 yr It's a bit surprising to me how many hazardous materials were used in a ~55 year old office building!
February 4, 20223 yr 8 hours ago, taestell said: It's a bit surprising to me how many hazardous materials were used in a ~55 year old office building! Asbestos is an incredibly good insulation material and non-combustible. Lead provided tremendous durability to paint. They were both materials of choice before the health issues were documented in the 60’s and 70’s.
February 4, 20223 yr 17 hours ago, thesenator said: Asbestos is an incredibly good insulation material and non-combustible. Lead provided tremendous durability to paint. They were both materials of choice before the health issues were documented in the 60’s and 70’s. Plus there were large oil, fuel, and chemical tanks in the building for all the original machinery that processed the mailing of IRS tax paperwork. The IRS never removed the old equipment or these tanks when the equipment became out of date/use.
February 5, 20223 yr City manager had these posted to FB. EDIT: Inside Covington IRS site to be demoed. Edited February 5, 20223 yr by TheCOV gave location
February 7, 20223 yr Cincinnati firm picked to demolish sprawling IRS site The city of Covington has picked a firm to demolish the sprawling IRS data processing facility near the city’s riverfront. The Covington Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 to hire O’Rourke Wrecking Co. of Cincinnati to demolish the one-story “Flat Top” complex between West River Center Boulevard and West Fourth Street. In addition, O’Rourke Wrecking will rip up the asphalt and concrete pavement laid throughout the site’s 23 acres and remediate environmental problems related to hazardous materials. Work is scheduled to begin on the demolition project in March. The contract calls for the work to be complete by Oct. 7. The contract was nearly $1.3 million. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/02/07/firm-picked-to-demolish-sprawling-irs-site.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
May 27, 20223 yr $308 million redevelopment of IRS site lands state funds By Tom Demeropolis – Senior staff reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier May 27, 2022 The planned redevelopment of the former IRS site in Covington can expect to tap into more than $45 million in future state tax revenue to help develop the sprawling 23-acre site. The Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority (KEDFA) gave the city of Covington permission to set up a signature tax increment financing, or TIF, district. The 31.6-acre district, which will include the entire IRS site, the adjacent Northern Kentucky Convention Center and surrounding streets, allows the city to use the growth in revenue from three state taxes collected within the district’s borders — sales tax, ad valorem property taxes and income tax. The city will use the revenue to pay back money it borrows to build infrastructure on the site, including a restored street grid, sidewalks, parking garages and utilities. MORE
May 31, 20223 yr Interesting that Kentucky allows sales tax and income tax to be captured by the TIF district as well.
June 12, 20223 yr Snapped a couple of photos of the demolition work today. Looks to be about 3/4 of the building demolished
June 13, 20222 yr It looks like the trees from the interior courtyard are still standing which for some reason makes me happy. I don't think they'll survive into the new site layout once the new street grid is extended but at least they get a little bit of fresh air and a view for now.
June 13, 20222 yr 30 minutes ago, ucgrady said: It looks like the trees from the interior courtyard are still standing which for some reason makes me happy. I don't think they'll survive into the new site layout once the new street grid is extended but at least they get a little bit of fresh air and a view for now. In a weird way, it would be cool if they made it a public square. Its at the intersection of where 3rd and Russell would meet. Why not make an interesting node at the point of intersection.
June 13, 20222 yr Any opportunity to keep a piece of the old thing with an adaptive reuse project like this is smart IMO, as long as it doesn't have any negative impacts on the overall site plan. Would be cool to keep the mature trees and create a little park at that location, since it will take some time for other trees planted within this superblock to reach that size.
June 13, 20222 yr Just now, Rabbit Hash said: In my mind, it could be like the squares seen in Savannah. Possible? Having lived there 6 years, that is exactly where my mind goes to.
June 13, 20222 yr The old courtyard kind of lines up with the planned park plaza so hopefully some mature trees survive the civil work necessary for the new street grid.
June 29, 20222 yr Covington picks KZF Design to lead key infrastructure planning for massive IRS project One of Cincinnati's largest engineering firms will spearhead a key portion of Covington's planned redevelopment of its massive former IRS site. On Wednesday, city officials announced KZF Design Inc., the region's fourth-largest engineering firm, will oversee the creation of public infrastructure for the 23-acre site, which is currently being demolished. This means KZF will lead the architects, engineers, urban planners and consultants responsible for restoring the site's street grid, including its interior sidewalks, water lines, sanitary and storm sewers, gas and electric, telecommunication and an 1,100-space parking garage. KZF is expected to have its design work completed by spring 2023 in order for construction to begin, according to a news release. Its contract is worth $2.25 million. More below: https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/29/kzf-irs-site.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
June 30, 20222 yr The old IRS is down to only the easternmost wall, which I'm thinking they will wait to pull down on the weekend when the daycare is closed. The site looks huge and I hope they move quickly to get the site infrastructure ready, especially to finalize their decision on how to address the levee wall so they can get the ball rolling for approval from the Army Corps. From Ovation to the planned ferris wheel in Newport I think we all know how long those approvals, or rejections, can take.
July 1, 20222 yr Kinda nerve-racking thinking about who the city will choose to be the master developer on this. I hate to have to say it but I almost hope it's someone out of town. Looking at our current local roster... North American would probably do a good job, but this is too close to NOTL and they'd probably see it as competing with that redevelopment. Corporex is the logical choice as they have the experience and capital to complete it, but we all known they'd design a god awful car-centric-suburban-office-parkesque development. Model I think would actually do a good job but they've never done anything on this scale and their preference seems to be on historic rehabs. I don't know if PLK would do this large of a project, but I can see them doing something unique with it. Now that I think about it, Al. Neyer would actually be a good fit. Really I'm just worried that this will go to a Smyjunas or Jeff Anderson and we'll end up with a passable but ultimately forgettable development in one of the regions last transformational urban core sites.
July 1, 20222 yr Quote Kinda nerve-racking thinking about who the city will choose to be the master developer on this. They don't plan on using a master developer. The city, using consultants/experts J.S. Held, will handle choosing the developers of each individual lot as they sell them off in a piecemeal kind of way. The city doesn't want control, and don't want to give control of the whole development to one entity, they just want to be picky to who they sell the lots too after they are finished creating the podium/street grid. Edited July 1, 20222 yr by ucgrady
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