NEWPORT — Newport residents and their Campbell County neighbors will have a new shopping district if a Cincinnati developer's plans for Wiedemann Hill are successful.

        Neyer Properties of Evendale, one of the major retail/commercial/residential developers in Greater Cincinnati, wants to build a shopping center on property just off Interstate-471 between Grand Avenue and 10th Street.

        The development would include upscale housing — probably condominiums — above the retail center in the area known as Wiedemann Hill.

        The view of downtown Cincinnati from the top of the hill is one of the best in Northern Kentucky.

        “We are proposing a community shopping center to serve the residents of Newport and the surrounding area,” John Stevens, Neyer's director of development, said Monday.

        Although no tenant names have been released, Newport City Manager Phil Ciafardini said the city has been told the project will include restaurants, a grocery store, a department store, a sporting goods store and several specialty shops.

        A meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sept. 5 at the Newport fire house on 10th Street behind the government center to discuss the project with residents of the proposed development area.

        “We don't have a signed development agreement at this point,” Mr. Ciafardini said.
       “We want to get everyone's support,” Mr. Neyer said. “We think the center can be a real benefit for the community.”

        Neyer Properties already has a contract to purchase the Holy Spirit Junior High School building and the former St. Francis de Sales Church at Grand and Chesapeake from the Diocese of Covington.

        “We have several other properties under contract,” Mr. Stevens said. A number of residents on the hill, including homeowners on Vine Street, Grand Avenue and surrounding streets, have said they have been approached about selling their property.

        Mr. Stevens said the project is aimed primarily at Newport shoppers who now drive to Florence Mall or Rookwood Commons in Norwood.

        “We want to keep some of those dollars in Campbell County,” he said.

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