Licking River Greenway will connect recreation to Riverfront Commons development

One of Northern Kentucky's most exciting and ambitious development projects, Riverfront Commons promises to connect the region's river cities through a multi-use trail linking Cincinnati via the Purple People Bridge, to the proposed Licking River Greenway and to the Boone County park system.

"We believe that if Northern Kentucky can creatively link all of our riverfront cities and riverfront assets, the entry points into our cities and regional parks, and the connecting points to Cincinnati's riverfront, that we can create the most exciting riverfront experience in the Midwest," says Bill Scheyer, president of Southbank Partners, which is leading the initiative.

The Licking River Greenway and Trails component of the project will essentially create an urban greenway from the mouth of the Licking River to the I-275 loop. The complex trail systems will wind through neighborhoods and business districts and extend the Licking River shoreline by almost five miles. Imagine landscaped walking paths along the river opening onto fishing and boating docks. Ramps for area canoe and kayak enthusiasts will be plentiful in an effort to tie the development of the riverfront to recreation – a request from area residents who played an important role in project planning. The trails will also reconnect visitors to the river by addressing the flood protection levees which currently cut off many streets and neighborhoods from the waterway.

A component of Northern Kentucky's 10-year strategic plan, Vision 2015, the project was originally developed as a way to capitalize on an under-used area resource. The plan identifies parks and open spaces as a quality of life and an economic development issue.

"It is essentially an economic development device," said Campbell County Judge-Executive Steve Pendery. "The fact that Cincinnati is in the throes of the same type of work on its riverbank shows that it is all going to work together and be connected by bridges."

Writer: Jeff Syroney
Source: Southbank Partners