Wow: Possible designs for Covington’s riverfront emerge

Without question, the City of Covington has lagged behind its neighbors in terms of attracting residents and visitors to its riverfront. Across the Ohio River is the booming Banks of Cincinnati, where corporations are constructing new office towers, where the Reds and Bengals play in new stadiums, where new restaurants and apartments are rising and, most compelling, where Smale Park attracts families, visitors, and tourists to its sprawling green space with playgrounds and water features.

Smale also offers a view of the mostly vacant Covington shore.

But that is about to change, as Covington City Commission revealed Feb. 23 the possible plans for what the city’s riverfront could become.

The vision: to elevate Covington’s riverfront as a vibrant civic asset and vital component of a unified regional riverfront. That’s how it was explained by Ryan Geismar, an associate at Human Nature, the Cincinnati-based firm that works in the design of public spaces, including significant work on landmark projects in the Queen City like Smale Park and Washington Park, and helped the City of Covington develop a master plan for Devou Park in 2007.

Read the full River City News story and see designs here.