At the end of each calendar year, we at Soapbox like to draw up best-of lists (check back next week for our top-read stories of the year). But we also like to give you, our dear readers, a look at what's in the development pipeline for the new year.
Riverfront Commons
Connecting the Northern Kentucky neighborhoods from Ludlow to Fort Thomas, Riverfront Commons is an 11.5-mile walking and biking path that will run along the Ohio River.
The project aims toward ecosystem restoration, riverside stabilization, economic development and recreation.
Connecting Ludlow, Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton and Fort Thomas, this path will allow runners, walkers and bikers from both local neighborhoods and Cincinnatians crossing the river via the Purple People Bridge. The project is underway and will be completed in sections.
Downtown Kroger
A new mixed-use, 18-story tower at the corner of Court and Walnut streets will feature 139 residential apartments, a 555-space parking structure and a two-story Kroger with a beer and wine bar. The project is expected to reach completion in summer 2019.
This will be downtown’s first supermarket since 1969 and will service residents in downtown, Over-the-Rhine and the West End.
Fourth and Race Street development
At the northwest corner of Fourth and Race streets, 3CDC and Indianapolis-based developer Flaherty and Collins are working on a new mixed-use building. The structure will include 264 apartments, a 700-space parking garage and 21,000 square feet of commercial space. The project is slated for completion next summer.
The project promises to offer more living space for residents migrating downtown and a new place for existing residents.
Uptown Innovation Corridor
The newly opened interchange at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and I-71 brings more opportunities to the Uptown neighborhood. Three projects involving 51,000 residents are already underway to host Uptown’s medical, research and innovation industries.
Uptown Gateway, an office, retail, residential and parking garage at the southeast corner of Reading Road and MLK is expected to be completed in 2020. The University of Cincinnati’s Gardner Neuroscience Institute, a treatment, research and teaching center, began construction in June. And lastly, the 1819 Innovation Hub in the former Sears building will be a place for UC startups to expand their work. Opening in 2019, it will also serve as a place for private and public collaborations.
Shillito’s redevelopment
The former downtown Shillito’s department store is slated for a long-awaited redevelopment. Local commercial real estate company Neyer Properties is planning to turn the western half of the building into a 450-space parking garage and 100,000 square feet of office space and street-level retail. The firm plans to preserve a level of the historic structure, but updates like larger windows are in store.
Duveneck Square
The urban infill project on Washington Street between Seventh and Eighth streets in Covington will house apartments and retail space. Across from Braxton Brewery, the project is expected to be finished in March 2018 offering new, modern housing for the neighborhood. One highlight local beer aficianados will love is the outdoor beer garden adjacent to Braxton that broke ground a few weeks ago.
MLS Stadium
FC Cincinnati, which currently plays home games at UC's Nippert Stadium, is in talks to obtain a stadium of its own. But the road hasn't been easy: The outcome rides on the MLS decision for its next two expansion teams.
A 16-acre lot in Oakley, which once held a manufacturer called Cast-Fab, is one of the proposed sites for the new stadium. On Dec. 14, the MLS will announce the two expansion teams — Cincinnati must beat out Nashville and Sacramento for one of the spots.
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