COVINGTON, Ky. — A 23-acre site in Covington that had become an eyesore will soon begin the transformation into a massive mixed-use development project.

What You Need To Know

  • A $150 million state allocation would make a corner of a Covington site home to both the Salmon P. Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Northern Kentucky campus

  • The city bought the closed IRS facility in 2020, and tore the building down in 2022

  • The plan is for a mixed-use site seamlessly integrated into the surrounding commercial and residential districts

  • Covington's mayor says the engineering work is all complete and construction could start as soon as May

A proposed state budget allocation would make the site, now known as the Covington Central Riverfront, home to both a medical school and law school.

Covington Mayor Joseph Meyer is excited to see the changes yet to come to the former IRS building site. He’s already seen change there his whole life.

“When I was a kid, I played in the neighborhood that is now the IRS site. I saw it torn down. I saw the IRS building constructed. I saw it for many, many years there. I saw its demolition. And now I’m seeing its reversion to the neighborhood it used to be,” Meyer said.

For right now, the site has a lot of possibilities for its future.

The city bought the closed IRS facility in 2020, and tore the building down in 2022. The plan is for a mixed-use site seamlessly integrated into the surrounding commercial and residential districts.

Meyer says the engineering work is all complete and construction could start as soon as may.

Proposed by State Sen. Christian McDaniel, R-Ryland Heights, as part of the 2024-26 state budget passed by the Kentucky Senate, a $150 million state allocation would make a corner of the site home to both the Salmon P. Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine Northern Kentucky campus. Both are currently on the campus of Northern Kentucky University.

“Having the law school there brings really the first significant commitment to a higher education in the city,” Meyer said. “The same thing is true for the UK Medical School. Having that here adds a very substantial new dimension.”

Judy Daar, dean of the Chase College of Law, sent Spectrum News 1 a statement saying:

“Positioning Chase in a brand new state-of-the-art facility with easy access to courts, firms and businesses will be transformational for our entire community. We are grateful to Sen. McDaniel for his support of our program of legal education and its proven capacity to uplift the lives of our students and the people they serve.”

Likewise, UK President Eli Capilouto sent a statement saying:

“Powered by Sen. McDaniel’s stirring vision for the future, we are excited about the opportunity to join with our partners at Northern Kentucky University as cornerstones of the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence in the heart of Covington. We want to grow with the Northern Kentucky region as we seek to advance this state in all that we do. Through a partnership with policymakers, health providers, NKU and many others, we can educate more physicians to provide care and work collaboratively in ways that will help build an even stronger region.”

Meyer said these moves would help jumpstart development for the rest of the site.

The Covington Board of Commissioners is considering a development agreement with a builder for 16 townhomes. The city is also considering an agreement with a contractor to build Phase 1 of the site, which includes about $15 million in streets, sidewalks, sewer lines and utilities.

It’ll be a far cry from what he grew up with, but Meyer said, in this case, change is good.

He said it could be a four- to five-year process before the medical and law schools are up and running at the Covington Central Riverfront. For more information on the project, visit the city of Covington’s website.

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