December 14, 200915 yr ^I'm really glad to see Newport continuing to fill in its many vacant lots with single-unit housing. I think that in 5-10 years, the difference will be remarkable.
December 31, 200915 yr 'Hotel doctor' has plan for Drawbridge By Mike Rutledge, Kentucky Enquirer, December 30, 2009 FORT MITCHELL - The Drawbridge Inn underwent holiday layoffs this month as it works its way out of bankruptcy, but the man hired to return it to profitability said he is confident the 400-room hotel will be successful again. The economy and other factors make it too early to predict when that will happen, said so-called "hotel doctor" Morris Lasky, chief executive officer of Chicago-based hotel management company Lodging Unlimited.
January 8, 201015 yr Kroger needs state land to expand By Cindy Schroeder, Kentucky Enquirer, January 7, 2010 FORT MITCHELL - Fort Mitchell Mayor Tom Holocher is meeting with state officials in Frankfort Thursday in hopes of keeping the expansion of the Fort Mitchell Kroger on track. To finalize the deal, developers need to acquire just over a half acre of land to the east of Kroger. That property is now owned by the Kentucky Department of Transportation.
February 2, 201015 yr Providence Pavilion opens in former St. Elizabeth North hospital building By Randy A. Simes, Soapbox Cincinnati | February 2, 2010 http://soapboxmedia.com/devnews/0202providencepavilion.aspx The historic former home of the St. Elizabeth North hospital in Covington (map) has been filled with a new rehabilitation and nursing center called Providence Pavilion. Following more than $500,000 worth of renovation work, the 277,000 square feet of space will now provide rooms for 82 residents in addition to a wide array of treatment services and other amenities. The new use of the 98-year-old complex also means the addition of 370 employees working throughout the three building campus. "This is the beginning of an amazing project," said George Hagan, owner/operator of Providence Pavilion. The first residents of the newly renovated facility moved in this past November into the building's fourth floor. Lower levels are occupied by rehabilitation services and other medical services. One of the most notable architectural features of the newly renovated structure is the cathedral-like chapel located on the building's second floor that boasts large stained glass windows. St. Elizabeth Healthcare has maintained a significant presence on the site and is leasing more than 25 percent of the total 377,000 square feet for its financial operations and employee education programs. “We have been pleased to expand upon the quality services that St. Elizabeth formerly provided to the community at this location. We also are honored that the Diocese of Covington has kept its offices in the building," said Hagan. Future plans call for additional community services including those specifically targeted for senior citizens.
July 30, 201014 yr NKY to get Islamic Center Mosque planned near Mall Road in Florence By Mark Hansel • July 26, 2010 FLORENCE - Plans are under way to build a mosque near Mall Road in Florence. The Mercy Foundation Inc., a non-profit organization, already has approval to go forward with the Muslim worship facility. In 2002, the group attempted to build a similar facility on Mt. Zion Road in Union, but was thwarted because a request for a required zoning change was denied. Joshua Wice, business development director for the city of Florence, said the property is already zoned for the use and the site plan review has been approved. The site is identified as a 5.58-acre parcel at 900 Cayton Road in Florence. It is in the section that runs between Mall Road and Hopeful Church Road, behind Kroger and the former Hollywood Video site. The property is zoned Commercial Two (C-2), which allows for a wide variety of uses, including churches, synagogues, temples and other places of religious assembly for worship. A rendering on the Islamic Center of Northern Kentucky website shows a three-story building. The third floor consists of a circular structure topped with a dome. The site plan indicates the building will be just over 39 feet from the first floor to the top of the dome, with a square footage of 8,818. Full article: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20100726/NEWS0103/7250384/NKY-to-get-Islamic-Center
March 5, 201213 yr I can't believe this snuck by me. A new distillery planned in my own backyard: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2011/08/31/party-source-owner-to-add-bourbon.html http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110830/NEWS0103/108310338/Party-Source-plans-add-bourbon-distillery http://cincinnati.com/blogs/newintown/2011/09/01/party-source-adding-distillery/
September 8, 201311 yr Author Luxury dwellings emerge throughout river cities Young professionals, empty-nesters among those showing interest in high-end apartments and condos Sep. 8, 2013 Written by Terry DeMio Nearly 2,000 luxury apartments and condos taking root on Northern Kentucky’s riverfront and nearby urban corners will await young professionals and empty-nesters eager to land an upscale, urban home. The building frenzy both underway and promised is a startling emergence from the past five years, when the recession stalled new residential construction here and throughout the nation. http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20130908/NEWS0103/309080045/Luxury-dwellings-emerge-throughout-river-cities?odyssey=mod|newswell|img|FRONTPAGE|p
March 13, 201411 yr The Mayor of Bellevue just announced that the city is in contract to purchase the historic Marianne Theater on Fairfield Avenue! “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
March 13, 201411 yr That's great news. I hope they can turn it back into an operating theater or playhouse.
March 13, 201411 yr Once the property closes the city is going to pursue a marketing study to help determine what can go in the theater. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” -Friedrich Nietzsche
April 21, 201411 yr Monmouth Row in Newport will be 102 living units and 2,500 feet of retail space. The project on April 19th.
June 24, 201410 yr Author New life for Marianne Theatre Terry DeMio, [email protected] 12:18 a.m. EDT June 24, 2014 Memories of heading to the Marianne Theater elicit broad smiles from people in Bellevue. Lifelong resident Vic Camm remembers his dad bringing him to the old, art deco cinema to see "Fantasia" when he was a kid. The big movie he remembers seeing as a young adult was quite different: "'Easy Rider,'" he said, again smiling, as he nodded toward the closed theater on Fairfield Avenue. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/northern-ky/2014/06/24/marianne-theatre-bellevue/11298243/
July 18, 201410 yr http://rcnky.com/articles/2014/07/18/photos-inside-newports-monmouth-row-apartment-development I like the density, but as usual with Towne Properties it is faux historic and not very interesting. Still thought I should throw these pictures up here, with this and the new apartments at Vue180 and hopefully the new hotel/apartments at the Levee, Newport is doing pretty well for itself.
July 18, 201410 yr It looks pretty bad in person but it does take over and add density to what was a series of parking lots or suburban style buildings (except for the corner, wasn't there a pretty decent building torn down for these?) and that's good. Downtown Newport stands to be a really cool neighborhood in the coming years. I like a lot of it once you head south from the Levee and there are quite a few places where large, dense development could occur.
July 18, 201410 yr except for the corner, wasn't there a pretty decent building torn down for these? It was okay. I think it was faux historic as well, but still fairly old (60+ years, but that's young for the neighborhood). It wasn't historically significant, unlike the Carnegie library next door, which thankfully was spared. IMO, that building was worth sacrificing to replace the rest of the surface lot on that block.
July 18, 201410 yr http://rcnky.com/articles/2014/07/18/photos-inside-newports-monmouth-row-apartment-development I like the density, but as usual with Towne Properties it is faux historic and not very interesting. Still thought I should throw these pictures up here, with this and the new apartments at Vue180 and hopefully the new hotel/apartments at the Levee, Newport is doing pretty well for itself. That Towne development is in a good location, rents are reasonable. Monmouth St. looks pretty good these days and Newport is sinking another $900,000 into street or sidewalk improvements somewhere off of Monmouth.
July 18, 201410 yr The building that used to be at the corner was a decent 2-story brick affair that looked to be from the 1920s. I wouldn't call it anything spectacular, and with a little love it could probably have been made to shine, but my guess is that it had some odd spaces inside. With a bunch of garage doors on one side and what looks like offices above, I guess it was only conducive to certain kinds of retail/industrial use, with pretty marginal office space above. It's a loss, but probably worth the trade. http://goo.gl/maps/dfRDL Even if you don't like the design/style of the new building, it is pretty well executed. The proportions are good, the materials are at least OK, and it doesn't have a bunch of unresolved details from what I've seen. What's more impressive though is that the urbanism is quite good, if not excellent. There's little to no setback from the sidewalk, and where there is, it's on the residential side leaving just enough room for a little stoop. The scale of the building is just right for 3-story townhouses. Many newer developments such as University Station by Xavier, the building that replaced Schiel School on Short Vine, and University Park on Calhoun have inappropriately tall first floors that make the buildings look like they're on stilts. There's also no blank walls that I'm aware of, and the both the retail and residential sides facing the streets have plenty of windows and doors. The only disappointment is that the courtyard is a parking lot instead of an actual courtyard, but even that is a pretty well-defined space and it's not too gaping a hole in the built fabric. It's a good example of building dense mixed use without having to resort to expensive construction types and parking garages that require a very overscaled development to amortize those additional costs.
August 29, 201410 yr Author Bill Butler on riverfront development, regionalism and Ovation Tom Demeropolis Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier Bill Butler was on my shortlist of people to interview about development and redevelopment along the Ohio riverfront for a cover story I was working on. Instead, I got this story about Butler’s plans for “rewirement.” We are dealing as well with the effects of Gov. John Kasich and Cincinnati’s combined $38 million expenditure to rip major tenants from our buildings at RiverCenter. This occurred at the depths of the recession, and the outcome of the properties will take some time to determine and then to rebuild into viable facilities. There was no benefit to it (except to look good on Kasich’s résumé). It will be extremely difficult to recover from the damage to what we termed “regionalism.” http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/blog/2014/08/bill-butler-on-riverfront-development-regionalism.html?page=all Note my comment below made three years ago, still holds true now. Butler does a lot for charitable causes in NKY, but pleading Ohio/Cincinnati are stealing our tenants/where is regionalism is completely hypocritical (Omnicare, Gibson Greetings, etc.)! Covington worried about Omnicare, Nielsen 6:22 AM, Aug. 28, 2011 | Written by Mike Rutledge First of all, I agree that relocating existing companies/tenants at a reduced tax bill is not economic development, it shrinks the pie for all, but this quote is the best.... Quote "The governor of Ohio, I'm being told, is being very aggressive in trying to pull businesses across the river," Banta said. "I don't think that's necessarily good for our region." Oh really? What about the last 20 years when RiverCenter was sucking tenants out of downtown Cincinnati and the rest of Ohio, where was your moral high ground then? (FYI I worked at Corporex during that time). Bill Butler even had a Jim Borgman cartoon in his office showing the RiverCenter complex sucking jobs across the river into Covington. COVINGTON - Officials in Northern Kentucky's largest city are concerned two significant employers - Omnicare Inc. and The Nielsen Co. (formerly known as AC Nielsen) - may be lured across the Ohio River or to another part of Northern Kentucky, taking not only two prestigious firms from Covington's riverfront office towers, but also approximately $1 million in combined annual payroll taxes. Covington officials believe a combination of forces have increased the possibility Nielsen and Omnicare may move. They say factors like plentiful office space in downtown Cincinnati - prompting building owners to dangle attractive rents - and more aggressive recruitment efforts by the state of Ohio have caused them to consider sites in Downtown Cincinnati their biggest rivals. http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20110828/NEWS0103/108290301/Covington-worried-about-Omnicare-Nielsen?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|FRONTPAGE Read more: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,1333.560.html#ixzz3BopjgIU8
November 11, 201410 yr Inside 845 Monmouth The corner of East 9th and Monmouth streets in historic downtown Newport, Kentucky is still sleepy. The one-story building, originally faced with white stucco and flanked by a red tile sub-roof, was home to an El Rico drugstore. The three-story Italianate Second Empire structure immediately to the east was built prior to 1900. At one point, the upper floors was home to several tenements while ground floor was host to a dry cleaner and other sundries. Today, the upper floors are vacant while the lower level is home to Carabello Coffee. It was apparent that the previous owner was in the process of rehabilitating the interior. Some of the plaster walls and ceiling had been removed, revealing beautiful rough-sewn timbers. Buckets of paint and tools were scattered about. New windows were installed. For whatever reason, need it be financial or else, construction did not progress very far. On November 10, 2014, Carabello Coffee announced that they were purchasing the corner building at East 9th and Monmouth, along with an adjoining building, and expanding operations. The addition will feature more seating, a slow bar, roastery annex and a training laboratory. WorK Architecture + Design and the City of Newport is assisting in the development. Check out the before and after for what will be an amazing anchor to the Monmouth Street retail district. More photos: http://urbanup.net/2014/11/11/inside-845-monmouth/
November 11, 201410 yr ^That's a huge upgrade over the check cashing place that previously occupied that vacant storefront. Best coffee in the Cincinnati area, too (sorry Coffee Emporium).
November 20, 201410 yr Good spot to capture Reds fans walking over the bridge also, The Gruff Pizzeria & Deli opening soon in Covington A location at the south end of the Roebling Bridge inspired the name and theme of The Gruff Pizzeria & Delicatessen, opening soon in Covington. ....At the 30-plus-foot brick-front bar, there will be eight taps with an emphasis on craft beer, plus wine and liquor. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/newintown/2014/11/19/the-gruff-pizzeria--deli-opening-soon-in-covington/19241171/
January 3, 201510 yr Author Bikers, hikers to see 'bold new era' on NKY riverfront Scott Wartman, [email protected] 10:11 p.m. EST January 2, 2015 You should have a much easier time biking and hiking along the shore in Northern Kentucky by the end of 2015. The long-sought-after Riverfront Commons project this year will have some of its most significant construction so far of the planned 11.5-mile walking and biking path along the Ohio River from Fort Thomas to Ludlow. http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/01/02/bikers-hikers-see-bold-new-era-nky-riverfront/21209409/
February 26, 201510 yr Author $135 million mixed-use development planned for Drawbridge Inn site Feb 26, 2015, 2:49pm EST Updated: Feb 26, 2015, 3:11pm EST Tom Demeropolis Senior Staff Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier More details of the planned redevelopment of the former Drawbridge Inn site in Fort Mitchell were revealed Thursday morning as the project received preliminary approval for the creation of a tax increment financing district. The 22-acre site, located on Royal Drive off Buttermilk Pike, is expected to be a $135 million development. According to a description of the project from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority, the property will include two medical office buildings totaling about 200,000 square feet, 11,000 square feet of restaurant space, 20,000 square feet of retail space, 150,000 square feet of multi-family residential units and a 60,000-square-foot hotel. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/02/26/135-million-mixed-use-development-planned-for.html
February 26, 201510 yr Anyone know what is happening along the river in Newport/Bellevue just east and somewhat in front of the Comfort Suites? There has been a crane there for several weeks now "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
February 27, 201510 yr Saw article a couple of weeks ago KYTC is extending the Taylor Creek Culvert and the City of Newport is building new greenspace/overlook on the Riverfront.
February 27, 201510 yr See the following: http://rcnky.com/articles/2015/02/05/youll-probably-how-nice-taylor-creek-overlook-park-will-be-after-construction
February 27, 201510 yr Author Nice rendering...The Ohio River looks like Willy Wonka's chocolate river.
March 4, 201510 yr Author EXCLUSIVE: Prologis developing $25 million spec building near CVG Mar 4, 2015, 11:55am EST Tom Demeropolis Senior Staff Reporter- Cincinnati Business Courier Prologis Inc., one of the largest industrial real estate owners in the world, is developing a $25 million speculative distribution facility near Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. The 520,000-square-foot distribution facility, called Gateway International, is expected to break ground this spring on more than 40 acres of land along Gateway Boulevard in Hebron. The huge building is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2015. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/03/04/exclusive-prologis-developing-25-million-spec.html
March 9, 201510 yr Don't know anything about Steinhaus, but this sounds like it will be good. http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/031015-factory-newport.aspx
June 29, 20159 yr Nearly 200 luxury apartments planned for former school An out-of-town developer plans to demolish the Newport Intermediate School building to make way for 200 luxury apartments. CRG Residential, a Carmel, Ind.-based developer that specializes in renovation and redevelopment of multifamily housing properties, had the winning bid for the school at 101 E. Fourth St. in Newport. CRG Residential will purchase the building for $2.6 million. David George, vice president of development for CRG, said the developer was attracted to the building because of its location. Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/06/24/nearly-200-luxury-apartments-planned-for-former.html
June 30, 20159 yr Between this, the new Monmouth row, and the new aqua at the levee there is a good influx of permanent residents to the levee area. Also with the aloft hotel and the old travelodge/ sleepy bear inn redo, the levee is finally starting to mature and fill out nicely. Now they just need to fill in the blank pad in front and find something to replace the long defunct IMAX.
July 13, 20159 yr Recently I heard about what a group (Dayton Together) in Dayton Ohio is trying to accomplish by combining Montgomery County and the city of Dayton together to make one regional government and would make Dayton have over half a million population. The purpose would be to increase its image as being a larger city and to save on services. It is my understanding that the cities that are currently in the county would stay as they are, but all of the townships and villages would be taken. I'm mentioning this because there used to be talks of combing the areas of Northern Kentucky and making it one municipality. Has there been any traction on that recently? IMO I would think that making at least the counties of Boone, Kenton and Campbell Counties as one large municipality of Covington. Our perhaps going even further and take some areas of the counties south of there too. That would give Northern Kentucky that muscle that Dayton Ohio is looking to accomplish. Combining all of those services would also be great for the area and should lower the cost to residents of Northern Kentucky.
July 14, 20159 yr While I agree there are far too many little municipalities in NKY, I really don't see anything being done across county lines. I'd say realistically the best you could do would be to have boone/Florence, Kenton/Covington, and Campbell/Newport urban county governments. Really if just one county did this first, it might start a domino effect, and even that could lead to Covington having a population of 160,000+, which isn't bad. Cities like Kenton hills, Kenton vale, lakeside park, etc. really need to start consolidating though, even if Kenton county was just three cities of Covington, Ft. Mitchell and Independence it would be a good start.
August 7, 20159 yr $1 billion residential community getting started along Ohio River After a quarter of a century of assembling land and weathering the nation’s roughest recession, Toebben Builders is finally getting started on the $1 billion Rivers Pointe Estates community in Hebron. John Toebben, president of Crescent Springs-based Toebben Builders, said the community is starting with a first phase that includes eight river-view home sites called the Reserve. “It’s been a long endeavor,” John Toebben told me. “But these homes will have the best views of the river.” Even though the builder is just now marketing the first phase, Toebben said two home sites have been pre-sold. http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/08/05/exclusive-1-billion-residential-community-getting.html Sorry...meant to put this in the NKY random thread.
August 7, 20159 yr I also think that's the wrong article. Though it taught me that Cincy has the second lowest available industrial space in the nation after the Bay Area which is interesting.
September 15, 20159 yr Why does CR keep doing the same junk over and over again :wtf: http://www.rcnky.com/articles/2015/09/15/developer-newport-school-property-shows-possible-design-eyes-other-opportunities
September 15, 20159 yr Because they're awful architects and their entire company model is based on recycling the same construction details to be as cheap as physically possible. They're a plague on the built form of this region.
September 15, 20159 yr I picture Samuel Hannaford and his sons rolling in their graves... EDIT: I noticed it said CRG not CR... (though it looks identical to CRs work).
September 15, 20159 yr Just looked them up...I honestly think I can say their work is worse than CR's. Just all around terrible.
September 15, 20159 yr I was hoping it would look more like Monmouth Row across the street, but it's a different developer so I guess that was asking too much. I don't like this particular design, but Newport's real opportunity is in getting its historic housing stock redeveloped. That only happens if the downtown area is seen as a place where people want to live, instead of as a place where people end up living. The East Row Historic District is already there, but it only extends so far, ending abruptly at Washington Street. So I'm disappointed in the design, but happy that this project is moving forward. I think it will be good for Newport in the long run.
September 15, 20159 yr ^Definitely. It's unfortunate that this design is of a low quality, but increasing the livability of NKY and thus spurring reinvestment in the very much intact historic building stock will be great. NKY has such great urban fabric in general and most areas saw very little demolition outside of the handful of spots along the riverfont that were totally obliterated. It could be such a great residential area but is a little rough around the edges at the moment.
November 12, 20159 yr Meanwhile... Here’s when the Ark Encounter will open A full-scale replica of Noah’s ark built to specifications in the Bible has been underway in Williamstown for months, and now the opening date for the structure and an accompanying theme park has been revealed. Answers in Genesis founder and president Ken Ham announced Thursday that the Ark Encounter park will open to the public on July 7, 2016. The conservative Christian group that also owns the nearby Creation Museum selected the date because of the verse in Genesis 7:7 about Noah. More below: http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/11/12/here-s-when-the-ark-encounter-will-open.html "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
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