COVINGTON, Ky. — Covington city leaders are moving forward on plans to transform the former IRS site. Crews demolished the building more than a year ago.

Harley Iles has been operating Harley Dogs across the street for ten years. The view he has from his business has changed.

“When it tore down, it hurt me a little bit. Luckily a lot of them moved over here to this IRS building but yeah it came down, and it was okay when it was happening, because the construction guys came over here and ate every day and they ate big so I liked that. But once it was done, it was done,” Iles said.

Covington city leaders have ideas for the 23-acre property. They are looking for private developers for three parcels of the land and a broker to market a fourth parcel. According to the city, utilities and infrastructure are already partially in place.

Tom West, development director for Covington Economic Development, said, “We are dividing the site up into city blocks so the first four blocks that are along fourth street- we now have requests for proposal out.”

The goal is to take the now-empty space and bring back a similar feel and concept to what stood there before the IRS site took over.

“So it had a street grid. There were some public spaces. It was a mix of uses—businesses, residents, private homes, multi-families, so we’re trying to get back to that urban fabric,” West said.

Iles says he has a lot of ideas on what could go up onto the space, but for now he’ll take what he can get.

Iles said, “Hopefully they get this done quick and we can start bringing in more people down in this area.”

City leaders say the requests for development proposals are due at the end of June and early July. If deals are reached quickly, dirt could move before the end of the year.