BY CINDY SCHROEDER
The Cincinnati Enquirer
COVINGTON -- A plaza with a view of Cincinnati's skyline is a key component of a plan for the last undeveloped portion of Covington's riverfront. The master plan, to be unveiled today, calls for offices, condominiums, a 2,000-car parking garage, restaurants, a hotel, and entertainment venues, Covington officials said.
"It's the missing piece that's going to tie the whole riverfront corridor together," said Covington Commissioner Jerry Bamberger. "It'll complement everything we have on (Covington) Landing. And with the plaza effect, it's going to bring people down to the riverfront."
Covington's Riverfront West plan serves as a blueprint for the development of the area between Covington Landing and the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge.
The plan, developed by Covington's economic-development department and the Lexington firm of PDR Engineers Inc., has been two years in the making.
Developers of the Newport aquarium had looked at the site before selecting Campbell County's riverfront. Covington officials also worked with Florence developer Jerry Carroll on the site, but that agreement didn't produce any construction.
"While the conceptual design "is still a long way from pouring concrete," City Engineer Terry Hughes called it "an exciting concept" designed to draw more tourists to Covington's ever-changing riverfront.
"There'll be a lot of open public space with a view of the entire river basin and Cincinnati's skyline," Mr. Hughes said.
To open up Covington's western riverfront, additional openings will be cut into the floodwall, Mr. Hughes said.
"One of the major driving forces in this is to open up the riverfront and provide a large public pedestrian atmosphere," he said.
City commissioners agreed.
"We'd like to have another gateway that would look very similar to Riverboat Row where you come off I-471," Commissioner Pamela Mullins said.
"The one thing I'd like to make sure is that it's accessible to the general public," Commissioner Butch Callery said." . . . They could just come down and enjoy the river. Not everybody has the money to enjoy the nice restaurants."
The plan is expected to complement the development of the Marriott Landmark Hotel, the 100 Madison Place office complex and the Northern Kentucky Convention Center opening this fall, as well as the RiverCenter Towers, the new Kenton County Courthouse and parking garage, and other planned development.
In April, a $30 million plan called for 240,000 square feet of plaza space on two levels that would offer views of the river with low-rise restaurant and entertainment facilities.
That plan also called for an office and condominium tower at the western end, with a 2,000-space parking garage near the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge.
While some elements have been modified, and the price has escalated, Mr. Hughes said the final version of the plan contains the same basic elements.
"I would say the overall project is going to be over $100 million, but a lot of that's going to be private funding," he said.
"Naturally, there's still a long way to go," he said. "We've got to find developers and private people to invest money in it." While the nearby Covington Landing development went bankrupt last year, and has struggled to attract and keep tenants, Mr. Hughes said about 75 percent of the landing is leased, and one tenant is discussing expansion.
"It was a beautiful location," Mr. Hughes said. "Unfortunately, the developers underestimated the cost of building on the river. We still think it's a viable project, especially with the convention center opening up, and all of the new hotels."
Covington officials hope to lure developers to the city's western riverfront through various tax incentives.
Also, Kenton Fiscal Court agreed in April to act as a conduit for the city, applying for a $1 million federal grant to acquire property for the Riverfront West project.
"This is an exciting concept," Mr. Hughes said of Riverfront West. "It's something that has already generated quite a bit of interest from outside people."
Patrick Crowley contributed to this report.
