41 minutes ago, Dev said:

This not being in the middle of nowhere is actually a bad thing! Building highways for low-density suburbs is how we go into the hole we are in today and the first step in recovery is to stop digging. Why not put jobs in the bedroom communities so their residents don't have to drive into another state for work? If suburbs want to be financially successful long-term they have to densify and we as a society need to stop subsidizing their fiscal irresponsibility! 

  

The chances of KYTC and ODOT building a CVG-Delhi bridge in the next 25 years is virtually zero so we might as well be advocating for something that is fully sustainable. Having more direct and frequent bus service to CVG would be good sure, but it's still going to be heavily outweighed by all the extra driving it will induce, making conditions for most working class people in our region worse overall. Having a circuitous path to get to CVG is good actually, as that reduces interest in driving, and we should lean into that more by making alternatives easier, not by making driving easier. I don't think this is a case where something is better than nothing.

 

Also, generational shift is going to kick in really big around 2030 so I don't think there's reason to be super pessimistic about better transit funding for a place like Cincinnati. I know you are frustrated with the lack of progress recently but I think there is still reason to be optimistic so it would be best for the region's advocates, and power brokers, to get ready for that future, instead of looking backwards at what has gotten funding in the past. 

The bridge will reduce that squiggly line on the right. The bridge would facilitate bus utilization by making the trip have a reasonable timeline...which is currently unreasonable forcing people into their cars. no one is gonna walk that trip. And biking may be a possibility if the design accommodates it.

On 11/1/2024 at 8:15 PM, TheCOV said:

You're not gonna move those jobs. They exist at the airport for a reason. The bridge will help that low density neighborhood densify....just as completion of the rapid transit loop in the city would have done had it been completed.

I never stated that the jobs at CVG should move to the westside. Auto infrastructure does not have the same impact on development as transit infrastructure, so no it will not cause the west side to densify, it'll cause more sprawl and create more low density development at the expense the existing density. They built multiple auto oriented bridges in downtown and look how much of it got leveled for low density development.

  

On 11/1/2024 at 8:18 PM, TheCOV said:

The bridge will reduce that squiggly line on the right. The bridge would facilitate bus utilization by making the trip have a reasonable timeline...which is currently unreasonable forcing people into their cars. no one is gonna walk that trip. And biking may be a possibility if the design accommodates it.

The point of the graph is that transit should be more direct and convenient than driving. Having both transit and autos have a direct path does not do that, as it would still be easier to drive than take the bus. If they built an auto oriented bridge, the vast majority of workers and travelers would still be driving between the 2 sections of the region and that is bad long-term.

On 11/1/2024 at 7:37 PM, Dev said:

Why not put jobs in the bedroom communities so their residents don't have to drive into another state for work?

Agreed... and another way of putting this... is that if there are going to be lots of jobs around CVG, we should focus on building a dense housing network within a short distance of CVG, allowing people to live nearby and get to work by bike, foot, bus, or (worst case scenario) a short drive. 

St. Elizabeth, developers break ground on luxury retirement community

 

Construction is officially underway at a long-vacant development site just off Interstate 275 in Fort Mitchell.

 

Public officials and representatives from St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Greenbrier Development and Brandicorp held a groundbreaking Nov. 1 for the Ormsby, a luxury retirement community expected to serve as the anchor project for the $200 million redevelopment of the former Drawbridge Inn Hotel and Convention Center site along Buttermilk Pike.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/11/04/st-elizabeth-ormsby-break-ground-drawbridge-retire.html

 

22 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

St. Elizabeth, developers break ground on luxury retirement community

 

Construction is officially underway at a long-vacant development site just off Interstate 275 in Fort Mitchell.

 

Public officials and representatives from St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Greenbrier Development and Brandicorp held a groundbreaking Nov. 1 for the Ormsby, a luxury retirement community expected to serve as the anchor project for the $200 million redevelopment of the former Drawbridge Inn Hotel and Convention Center site along Buttermilk Pike.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/11/04/st-elizabeth-ormsby-break-ground-drawbridge-retire.html

 

 

 

Put this in the "it's better than an empty lot" category. The early plans were much more ambitious. 

On 11/4/2024 at 10:53 AM, jwulsin said:

Agreed... and another way of putting this... is that if there are going to be lots of jobs around CVG, we should focus on building a dense housing network within a short distance of CVG, allowing people to live nearby and get to work by bike, foot, bus, or (worst case scenario) a short drive. 

That is certainly happening in NKY. But not everyone can or wants be in those dense living areas, and isn't that okay too? Much of the westside isn't some greenfield sprawlville. If you look, there are small pockets that continue to be developed with more housing. Some SFH, some medium density multifamily.

On 11/4/2024 at 9:44 AM, Dev said:

I never stated that the jobs at CVG should move to the westside. Auto infrastructure does not have the same impact on development as transit infrastructure, so no it will not cause the west side to densify, it'll cause more sprawl and create more low density development at the expense the existing density. They built multiple auto oriented bridges in downtown and look how much of it got leveled for low density development.

  

The point of the graph is that transit should be more direct and convenient than driving. Having both transit and autos have a direct path does not do that, as it would still be easier to drive than take the bus. If they built an auto oriented bridge, the vast majority of workers and travelers would still be driving between the 2 sections of the region and that is bad long-term.

But that was for completely different reasons and was a sad conscious choice of leaders at the time. Beyond the "urban renewal", blight clearance, racist motivations, and desire to wipe housing from the flood prone areas of the Mill Creek, the decision to raze all that density and replace it with a completely different street configuration was to create a suburban office park. This was more a reaction to changes in tax laws in how cities could create a sustainable tax base than it was to bridges that allowed the population to mobilize.

14 hours ago, TheCOV said:

This was more a reaction to changes in tax laws in how cities could create a sustainable tax base than it was to bridges that allowed the population to mobilize.

Stroads and car sewers negatively impact property values. The volumes of traffic carried by a bridge you are wanting would depress values as less land use types would be economically viable. So whichever road you try to connect to on the Ohio side is going to be initially widened into a stroad to accommodate all the estimated traffic, then property values will stagnant along it, followed by redevelopment into auto oriented uses.

13 minutes ago, Dev said:

Stroads and car sewers negatively impact property values. The volumes of traffic carried by a bridge you are wanting would depress values as less land use types would be economically viable. So whichever road you try to connect to on the Ohio side is going to be initially widened into a stroad to accommodate all the estimated traffic, then property values will stagnant along it, followed by redevelopment into auto oriented uses.

Some of this will happen for sure. But looking at the region as a whole, I believe connections across the river like this are important ways to hinder additional sprawl outward. Bridging the river with a more continuous series of connections allows the two sides to act more as one. Right now, each side just continues to expand outward. Although, the super high construction costs we've seen lately are at least favoring the economics of more dense housing types.

8 minutes ago, TheCOV said:

Some of this will happen for sure. But looking at the region as a whole, I believe connections across the river like this are important ways to hinder additional sprawl outward...Right now, each side just continues to expand outward.

That is just not how that works, anywhere. If you increase the auto options, you reduce the travel times, making it easier for people to live further away. Right now it's almost a half hour to get from Cheviot to CVG. With a direct bridge in Delhi, that probably becomes less than 20, so people in that area who work around CVG will more easily be able to move further away.

  

6 minutes ago, TheCOV said:

 Bridging the river with a more continuous series of connections allows the two sides to act more as one.

  
This is a one-more-lane-will-fix-it argument, which has been routinely shown to not work.

 

1 minute ago, TheCOV said:

Although, the super high construction costs we've seen lately are at least favoring the economics of more dense housing types.

I certainly agree with that but it is not something to hang our hat on as it is not a sustainable model. This is the bad version of high density that does not come with enough retail activity. It also shows why this won't be happening regardless of design or intent because the construction costs for the bridge would be way too high.

9 minutes ago, Dev said:

That is just not how that works, anywhere. If you increase the auto options, you reduce the travel times, making it easier for people to live further away. Right now it's almost a half hour to get from Cheviot to CVG. With a direct bridge in Delhi, that probably becomes less than 20, so people in that area who work around CVG will more easily be able to move further away.

  

  
This is a one-more-lane-will-fix-it argument, which has been routinely shown to not work.

 

I certainly agree with that but it is not something to hang our hat on as it is not a sustainable model. This is the bad version of high density that does not come with enough retail activity. It also shows why this won't be happening regardless of design or intent because the construction costs for the bridge would be way too high.

I hear everything you're saying. But as someone who was around when the Brent Spence opened, I know the highwaymen will come to build another bridge someday. I'll advocate for it here rather than one way out on the east side that will more likely be the one to happen. It opens vast swaths of land for development. And NONE of it will have any density whatsoever.

6 hours ago, TheCOV said:

I'll advocate for it here rather than one way out on the east side that will more likely be the one to happen.

I'm not even sure where you are talking but that is not happening at all. If we're being cynical and assuming that they will keep building unnecessary highway capacity, then they'll just keep widening the existing highways until it just so happens that the existing highway bridges are rated as 'functionally obsolete' just like the BSB.

Kroger plans new supermarket in Newport amid neighbor concerns

 

Kroger Co. is planning a second Newport store, but neighbors have a beef with the plan for gas pumps on the site.

 

Downtown Cincinnati-based supermarket giant Kroger (NYSE: KR), the nation’s largest operator of traditional supermarkets, is planning to open a 52,000-square-foot store at the corner of Sixth and York streets, according to plans submitted with the city of Newport. It plans to renovate the building already on the site. That structure formerly housed a supermarket that was once a Thriftway store and later became a Winn-Dixie location when that company bought Cincinnati-based Thriftway in 1995.

...

Kroger has received zoning approvals from Newport officials for the signs and addition of the fuel center. But Steffen said Kroger hasn’t yet submitted its request for building permits. City officials need to review construction drawings and issue permits for the project to proceed.

 

Kroger also faces opposition from a neighborhood group regarding the fuel center.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/12/03/kroger-new-grocery-store-newport-gas-station-zone.html

Interesting that Kroger wants another store so close to its Newport Marketplace store. Maybe they’re backing off on the strategy of closing all the smaller neighborhood stores and forcing people to drive to a Marketplace?

2 minutes ago, taestell said:

Interesting that Kroger wants another store so close to its Newport Marketplace store. Maybe they’re backing off on the strategy of closing all the smaller neighborhood stores and forcing people to drive to a Marketplace?

 

Interesting too that this seems like it will be more like the Bellevue Kroger. Even considering its surburban style and fuel center, this Kroger is a big win for Newport and Covington and to a lesser extent downtown Cincinnati.

OneNKY is starting to close up with window installation. I hate that the design is like a lazy horizontal version of the Ascent windows across the street, but it does fill in  a vacant lot that was shaped weird with an active building.  I feel like this building looks dated and it isn't even finished yet, which doesn't help the stereotype of of our region being 10 years behind. 

 

Down the road, they are already drilling for the new Covington City Hall building, nice to see that there is no wasted time with this one when it seems like so many projects, especially government projects, can take a long time to come to fruition. 

7 hours ago, ucgrady said:

I hate that the design is like a lazy horizontal version of the Ascent windows across the street, but it does fill in  a vacant lot that was shaped weird with an active building. 

looks like a Star Wars storm trooper factory.

The race to fix NKY's housing gap

 

Chris Reinersman sat in the living room of an Independence home over the summer to make the case he had been making for months. The atmosphere was tense and crowded, but as he spoke, people listened.

 

The proposal from Fischer Homes for 110 new condominiums off two-lane Madison Pike surfaced in February before a city planning commission that would eventually vote against it. Reinersman, the city’s mayor and a private real estate appraiser, argued for the proposal in a March City Council meeting – and faced significant public pushback.

 

Independence is one of the fastest-growing cities in Northern Kentucky. It hasn’t gone unnoticed among longtime residents. Signs appeared across the city before the March meeting encouraging people to attend and speak against the Madison Pike project. Another room tense and crowded with opinions. Those who spoke described a place where residential density doesn’t belong and whose growth is outpacing its traffic grid.

 

“We’re the heart of Kenton County, and our heart is getting congested,” said one resident. Another, citing traffic concerns, warned of Independence suddenly becoming Los Angeles.

 

Months later, in that Independence living room, Reinersman patiently pressed his points again. Development costs were too high to support a single-family subdivision. In any case, the land was already zoned for multifamily. At least the Fischer Homes project needed city approval, which gave the city some control over the outcome. If it failed to move forward, another developer likely wouldn’t create owner-occupied condos, but three-story apartments.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/12/05/nky-housing-gap-independence-fischer-homes-cvg.html

 

"Another, citing traffic concerns, warned of Independence suddenly becoming Los Angeles"

 

🤔

1 hour ago, cincydave8 said:

"Another, citing traffic concerns, warned of Independence suddenly becoming Los Angeles"

 

🤔

Nevertheless, traffic is/is becoming an issue in NKY.

Most of the new apartments and denser developments are happening in Covington and Newport, and then way out in Florence, Independence and Alexandria. NKY is missing the middle zone, like the distance of uptown or even Norwood / Oakley where we have dense development within 5ish miles of downtown.

 

There needs to be major upzoning in the historic streetcar suburbs of NKY from the overwhelming single family housing, especially along the major roads and bus lines from Erlanger, Ft. Mitchell, Ft Wright, Lakeside park, Crestview Hills, Latonia, Taylor Mill, Wilder, Ft. Thomas, Highland heights etc. Building bigger and bigger apartments way out in Richwood and Union does nothing good for traffic or for the existing neighborhood business districts in those cities. 

 

 

Chick-fil-A announces $100M investment in Northern Kentucky

By Brian Planalp – Staff reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Dec 9, 2024

 

Chick-fil-A has announced plans to make a $100 million investment in Northern Kentucky.

 

Chick-fil-A Supply, a wholly owned distribution-focused subsidiary of Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Inc., will develop and construct a new distribution center in Elsmere, where the company is expected to create 178 full-time jobs over five years, including more than 130 in the first year, according to a media release.

 

MORE

Camco Chemical Co. buys former IRS facility, plans $4M conversion

By Brian Planalp – Staff reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Dec 10, 2024

 

One of Northern Kentucky's largest employers looking to build out its footprint for future growth has purchased a large property neighboring its 40-acre main corporate campus in Florence.

 

Camco Chemical Co. closed Dec. 6 on the purchase of 7125 Industrial Road, according to a media release. The 18-acre property is the site of a 170,000-square-foot building occupied by the Internal Revenue Service.

 

Camco, a third-generation family business that performs contract manufacturing and supply chain services, bought the property from Newton, Mass.-based RMR Group through 25 Industrial LLC for an undisclosed price.

 

MORE

Citizens group drops opposition to new Newport Kroger

 

Plans for a second Kroger store in Newport are set to proceed after a local citizens group withdrew its opposition, according to a report by Business Courier news partner WKRC-TV Local 12.

 

Earlier in December, the Courier first published plans about the new 52,000-square-foot store, set for the intersection of Sixth and York streets, the site of a former Thriftway and Winn-Dixie store. Kroger (NYSE: KR), the nation’s largest operator of traditional supermarkets, plans to renovate the building already on the site.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/12/20/citizens-drop-opposition-newport-kroger-gas-pump.html

This would be the closest store to downtown after the Court Street Kroger. The article states that the stores would be about the same size, but this one includes a fuel center. Would be so great to see a more urban format (multi-level, no surface parking, pedestrian oriented experience), but I won't hold my breath.

2 hours ago, Chas Wiederhold said:

This would be the closest store to downtown after the Court Street Kroger. The article states that the stores would be about the same size, but this one includes a fuel center. Would be so great to see a more urban format (multi-level, no surface parking, pedestrian oriented experience), but I won't hold my breath.

I had a similar thought, with the Kroger near UK's campus as a fairly obvious conversion option. Still plenty of surface parking but at least it takes the flat box and actually interacts with the street level, encouraging people to walk or take transit to it.

2 hours ago, Chas Wiederhold said:

This would be the closest store to downtown after the Court Street Kroger. The article states that the stores would be about the same size, but this one includes a fuel center. Would be so great to see a more urban format (multi-level, no surface parking, pedestrian oriented experience), but I won't hold my breath.

I really like this new location. Even though Newport already has a "nearby" Kroger, this new location will be so much more pleasant to walk/bike to because of the Newport street grid. Due to the topography and fast traffic on E 10th St, the existing Kroger does not feel at all "walkable". But this new location will be within a ~10 minute walk for most of the "urban basin" of Newport. To me, it will make Newport a much more attractive neighborhood since you could pretty easily walk to get your groceries. 

On 12/20/2024 at 8:37 PM, ColDayMan said:

Citizens group drops opposition to new Newport Kroger

 

Plans for a second Kroger store in Newport are set to proceed after a local citizens group withdrew its opposition, according to a report by Business Courier news partner WKRC-TV Local 12.

 

Earlier in December, the Courier first published plans about the new 52,000-square-foot store, set for the intersection of Sixth and York streets, the site of a former Thriftway and Winn-Dixie store. Kroger (NYSE: KR), the nation’s largest operator of traditional supermarkets, plans to renovate the building already on the site.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/12/20/citizens-drop-opposition-newport-kroger-gas-pump.html

It hilarious because Publix real estate arm showed interest in the old Newport Thriftway and Kroger panic'd and snatched it up. If Publix wouldnt have showed interest this store would have never happened....

3 hours ago, Dev said:

I had a similar thought, with the Kroger near UK's campus as a fairly obvious conversion option. Still plenty of surface parking but at least it takes the flat box and actually interacts with the street level, encouraging people to walk or take transit to it.

My capstone at DAAP in undergrad was "The Future of Urban Grocery" and that store was one of our precedents. Aspirational if we can't get a store with housing on top of it.

 

3 hours ago, jwulsin said:

I really like this new location. Even though Newport already has a "nearby" Kroger, this new location will be so much more pleasant to walk/bike to because of the Newport street grid. Due to the topography and fast traffic on E 10th St, the existing Kroger does not feel at all "walkable". But this new location will be within a ~10 minute walk for most of the "urban basin" of Newport. To me, it will make Newport a much more attractive neighborhood since you could pretty easily walk to get your groceries. 

Newport's Walk Score is about to soar.

Landmark NKY housing report recommends creation of regional affordable housing fund

 

Northern Kentucky's landmark housing strategies report is out with dozens of recommendations on how to build more homes in the region amid an affordability crisis that could see communities fall thousands of residential units short of demand in the next five years.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/01/17/northern-kentucky-housing-report-trust-fund.html

 

Amazon Web Services has their computers built by Jabil and shipped/stored by DB Schenker.  There is a huge expansion underway right now near the airport with Jabil hiring 900 people over the next three months to do production in this warehouse:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0183563,-84.6727476,834m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDExNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

 

Meanwhile, the finished servers will be stored by DB Schenker in the former Wayfair warehouse on Ted Bushelman:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.014952,-84.6464727,411m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDExNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

 

DB Schenker will also be storing finished servers in one of these two big boys (not sure which one):

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9061325,-84.6090558,1030m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDExNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

 

Also, the gigantic new Chik-fil-A warehouse/commissary has its walls up and roof going in right now...this thing is huge.  It doesn't appear yet on Google Maps but is in this location:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/FUN.com/@38.9934711,-84.6036039,840m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m6!3m5!1s0x8841b9e90ce1a867:0x10120167726dd0bd!8m2!3d38.9889836!4d-84.6027088!16s%2Fg%2F11stzbctnc?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDExNS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

 

I'm not sure if the Chik-fil-A warehouse is getting a spur off the railroad or not. 

 

Directly opposite the new Chik-fil-A is Fun.com, which is like one million feet of returned Halloween costumes.  It's hard to believe this is real life, but half (there is a second Fun.com warehouse in Minnesota) of the costumes that people buy on Amazon, Wal-Mart, etc., that are returned to Amazon or Wal-Mart aren't restocked by those companies but rather end up at this warehouse where they accumulate throughout the year and then are sold in a flurry in September and October.  The warehouse has literally one million returned Halloween costumes under roof. 

 

Edited January 22Jan 22 by Lazarus

Boone Conservancy acquires 350 acres along the Ohio River for $2M

By Chris Wetterich – Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier

Jan 31, 2025

 

The Boone Conservancy bought 350 acres of property along the Ohio River in Petersburg, just across the Interstate 275 bridge from Lawrenceburg, Ind., with plans to preserve it for recreation and conservation.

 

The property spans 1.3 miles of riverfront and includes wetlands, a forest canopy, Native American sites, the ruins of a Revolutionary War veteran’s home and the burial ground of slaves.

 

The conservancy, a Northern Kentucky nonprofit whose mission is land conservation, bought the property for $2 million. It waged an 18-month fundraising campaign. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Program, the Imperiled Bat Conservation Fund, Kentucky Natural Lands Trust, Boone County Fiscal Court and several foundations contributed.

 

MORE

^Very cool - I'm not very familiar with this land, but it looks neat based on maps/topography. It appears to be two parcels northwest of Second Creek. The hill directly north of the confluence of Second Creek and the Ohio River is over 100' in terms of elevation change. Should make for some dramatic hiking and views. Would be an incredible spot to watch the sun set, for sure. Would love for Boone Conservancy to partner with an entrepreneur in Lawrenceburg to set up an "ecotourism" business where you can pay to canoe/kayak across the Ohio River, then hike up to the top of the ridge and have a nice picnic lunch. Would be a great way to spend a few hours. 

 

 

On the Ohio side, I am a huge fan of the Bortz Family Preserve at the confluence of the Little Miami and Ohio rivers. For comparison's sake, the Bortz Preserve is ~135 acres, so this area in Boone county will be more than double the size. Would be a fun place to walk around and enjoy being by the River without 

Where is the 'ghost ship' USS Sachem along the river over there? I remember exploring around it years ago but don't remember exactly where it is, can anyone tell if it's included in this property? 

49 minutes ago, ucgrady said:

Where is the 'ghost ship' USS Sachem along the river over there? I remember exploring around it years ago but don't remember exactly where it is, can anyone tell if it's included in this property? 

Don't think so. USS Sachem is a bit downriver where Taylor Creek meets the Ohio. Nearby but not on this property. 

There's probably no safe way to incorporate that into a park anyway, but thought it would be cool to be part of of it.

On 2/2/2025 at 12:36 PM, ucgrady said:

There's probably no safe way to incorporate that into a park anyway, but thought it would be cool to be part of of it.

On property owned by one of the Arlinghaus Trusts, so not gonna happen.

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/02/25/orleans-new-townhome-development-newport-ky.html

 

I didn't realize there was a neighborhood called "Clifton" in Newport... I initially thought this was just a particularly egregious example of developers (and media) misidentifying neighborhoods like Corryville, Avondale, and CUF as "Clifton". 

Covington developer to transform vacant Newport site into 12-townhome community

 

A new townhome development is coming to Northern Kentucky.

 

Orleans Development and Comey & Shepherd Realtors are working to redevelop a long-vacant site in the Clifton neighborhood of Newport into 12 modern townhomes, called Clifton Views.

 

The 2.1-acre parcel, located on the corner of Grandview Avenue and Main Street, is the former site of the Grandview School that was demolished in the 1980s.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/02/25/orleans-new-townhome-development-newport-ky.html

 

19 hours ago, jwulsin said:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/02/25/orleans-new-townhome-development-newport-ky.html

 

I didn't realize there was a neighborhood called "Clifton" in Newport... I initially thought this was just a particularly egregious example of developers (and media) misidentifying neighborhoods like Corryville, Avondale, and CUF as "Clifton". 

Colloquially its called Spaghetti Knob (or worse) because of the historic Italian population up there but the Clifton name dates back to the 1880s and was originally it's own city before annexation by Newport.  

Local development firm begins construction on townhome development in historic Newport

 

A new townhome development is under construction in Newport.

 

Vision Realty Group, which was launched by a local real estate vet in 2018, is constructing a four-townhome development in Newport on East Southgate Street and Washington Avenue behind Hofbräuhaus.

 

“That’s the Mansion Hill, East Row (Historic) District of Newport," Matt Olliges, managing partner of Vision Realty Group, told me. "It’s a hot little spot. You have the levy, you have the Hofbräuhaus and all the developments that have been taking pace in Newport."

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/02/28/vision-realty-group-newport-townhome-development.html

 

The parking garage at the World Peace Bell site in Newport is going up fast. It seems to be made of prefabricated sections so it should be finished relatively quickly.

 

It's probably in this thread somewhere but...where did the bell go?

Headed to redone Newport riverfront park at some point.

 

https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2024-08-01/newport-world-peace-bell-temporary-home

On 3/12/2025 at 11:21 PM, ColDayMan said:

It's probably in this thread somewhere but...where did the bell go?

 

I took photos of its move...they put baby in a corner:

 

It's in this area:

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.0873629,-84.4852619,59m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDMxOC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

 

It now appears on google streetview under a tarp:

https://linknky.com/news/2025/03/27/80m-development-proposed-for-newports-vacant-steel-mill-site/

I had heard rumblings of this and it's great news. That site really needs the remediation so hopefully that work happens regardless of this PLK development going through. PLK has a history of polluted sites so I have faith they will get it fixed up well and this project will help anchor the west side, especially if they can add some connections to the Licking River or the levee wall there. 

Edited March 28Mar 28 by ucgrady

17 minutes ago, ucgrady said:

I had heard rumblings of this and it's great news. That site really needs the remediation so hopefully that work happens regardless of this PLK development going through. PLK has a history of polluted sites so I have faith they will get it fixed up well and this project will help anchor the west side, especially if they can add some connections to the Licking River or the levee wall there. 

From the renderings it looks like PLK is bringing ACES pickleball and bar and opening up a Newport branch.

 

Or it could just be those are the best renderings they have available about a new pickleball facility.

 

https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/campbell-county/newport-community/proposed-newport-development-could-turn-vacant-steel-mill-lot-into-apartment-complex-pickleball-facility

 

Edited March 28Mar 28 by ucnum1

PLK Communities plans up to $90M riverfront project at former industrial site

 

A long-vacant riverfront industrial site in Newport is primed to become a large mixed-use development under a plan from PLK Communities, the same firm behind Factory 52 in Norwood.

 

The Newport board of commissioners April 7 approved a resolution for the issuance of industrial revenue bonds not to exceed $90 million for the full project, which will bring nearly 200 apartments and a commercial user to Newport’s west side.

 

The development covers 17.2 acres bounded to the east by Lowell Street/Kentucky state Route 9 and to the west by the Licking River. It was home to a Newport Steel Co. industrial facility until its sale in 1981.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/04/08/plk-newport-steel-apartments-licking-river-ky-9.html