ASK ME ABOUT: The status and expected impact of the Covington Central Riverfront development.
WHAT IS THE STATUS OF THE CITY’S RIVERFRONT DEVELOPMENT? By year’s end, you won’t recognize the 23-acre Covington Central Riverfront (CCR) site. Already most of Phase I’s underground infrastructure is complete, and streets and curbs are being filled in as we re-create the street grid and plan for a yet-unannounced special event, hopefully in May. Meanwhile, private developers will begin construction this year on four parcels destined to be housing and commercial uses.
HOW DO YOU EXPECT THIS PROJECT TO IMPACT THE COVINGTON REGION? At its heyday, 4,000 people worked at the sprawling IRS facility, producing tax revenue that funded services around The Cov. CCR will replace some of that lost revenue. But—and this is important— whereas the IRS complex was a fenced-off island, CCR will be a neighborhood connected to the disparate pieces of the urban fabric around it, both in its accessibility and complementary design.
HOW WILL THIS SITE BE SIMILAR TO AND DIFFERENT FROM COMPARABLE RECENT DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN THE REGION? Covington is different, and our approach to CCR is different. We didn’t give control to a single developer, and we aren’t anchoring it with a massive entertainment complex or other use. Much like Covington itself, we think small in a big way. Our focus is on walkable, human-scale development in an environment that embraces education, community participation, and a diversity of housing options.