By Pat Crowley
Special to NKyTribune
Two of the most exciting Ohio Riverfront projects in Northern Kentucky history – the $100 redevelopment of Newport on the Levee and the construction of the $40 million PromoWest Pavilion music venue at the Ovation – are gearing up for a summer of welcoming visitors back to the river.
With many of last year’s COVID-19 restrictions being relaxed or lifted and with construction of both projects nearing completion, operators of both attractions are anxious for crowds to experience what is being developed along the Ohio River.
Bridgeview Box Park at Newport on the Levee
Newport on the Levee General Manager Justin Otto and Eric Buck, senior development associate for Ovation developer Corporex Cos. of Covington, updated the projects during a recent virtual meeting of the Newport Business Association.
“You can build a Newport on the Levee anywhere,” Otto said. “But what’s really hard to build is an Ohio River, a Purple People Bridge, a Cincinnati skyline and a partner like Ovation.”
“There’s no way this project would’ve ever been possible without the support of Newport and Campbell County,” he said.
Buck said the Ovation music pavilion is planning on holding concerts by September and ultimately attract up to 400,000 visitors to 180 events each year.
“To have an amenity like Newport on the Levee right next to us, that’s why we’re so excited to have the partnership, connecting our two projects and our developments,” Buck said. “For me, and for all residents living in Newport, it’s not just about Newport on the Levee and Ovation, it’s all about the riverfront development, the district.”
Otto reported that Levee owner North American Properties, the Cincinnati-based company redeveloping the attraction, has announced new bar and food tenants:
• Beeline, which specializes in craft cocktails and will feature an outdoor patio, is a concept of Four Entertainment Group (4EG), a successful operator of bars and restaurants in Greater Cincinnati and elsewhere.
• The Buzz, another 4EG concept, will open in the Levee’s popular Bridgeview Box Park by Memorial Day and offer cocktails and frozen drinks.
• West Sixth Brewing, a Lexington craft brewery, will open its first Northern Kentucky location in the Bridgeview Box Park.
• Blackmarket Saloon uses fresh squeezed lemonades in cocktails and also offers other specialty cocktails.
• CrepeGuys offer 40 handmade crepes and coffees.
Otto also mentioned other changes, including a redesign of the Gallery Building, new LED lighting, a new parking garage entrance from the valet circle, improved sound system and an LED viewing screen that was unveiled during the Levee’s Kentucky Derby Party on Saturday.
The Ovation
When it opens in September, the concert venue will offer outdoor space for up to 7,000 capacity and indoor space with room for 2,700 people. It will also offer three bars, a area with real grass for concert goers to sit on while enjoying the performances, VIP seating, a dance area in front of the main stage known as the mosh pit and a parking garage.
Corporex will begin construction this summer on the development phases of Ovation, including a 124-room Hampton Inn featuring a rooftop bar and a five-story office building featuring first floor retail shops and restaurants.
Ultimately, more than 900 residential units include apartments and condos are planned.
Buck stressed the importance of the replacement of the Fourth Street Bridge between Covington and Newport, which the state is planning, to the success of riverfront development and the ability to move vehicles and pedestrians between the two river cities.
“Getting people from Covington to Newport, and from Newport to Covington is so important,” Buck said. “It’s so important to both communities that the bridge gets replaced, not just for vehicle traffic, but also pedestrian traffic.”
