The Northern Kentucky Port Authority, in partnership with Kenton County, is seeking a project manager to oversee the planned Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence in Covington.
The Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence, originally announced in March and funded by the Kentucky General Assembly in the most recent state budget, will relocate Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s Northern Kentucky campus to Covington. It will build on Covington’s growing status as a hub of entrepreneurship, innovation and life sciences.
“We know bringing Northern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky to the urban core will be transformational,” Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann said. “Thanks to Sen. Chris McDaniel and our General Assembly, we have the funding to get this project done. The next step in the process is to hire an experienced project manager to help take this vision into a reality.”
The project manager will play an integral role in the Center’s planning, design and construction, working hand-in-hand with the NKY Port, NKU, and UK teams to execute the $125 million project.
One of the project manager’s first tasks will be conducting site analysis and providing acquisition assistance to cement the Center’s location.
The County and its partners are working with the City of Covington to finalize a site for the project, though nothing has been acquired yet. Currently, the site selection process is focused primarily, though not exclusively, on the Covington Central Riverfront, the City-led redevelopment of the 23-acre former IRS site adjacent to the Ohio River.
In March, Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights) spearheaded a push to secure $125 million in state funding for the project. The County will receive $10 million in the current fiscal year to begin the project’s development, including buying the land upon which it will be built. The remaining funds will be distributed in the 2025-2026 fiscal year to cover construction costs.
Earlier this month, the NKY Port formed an ad hoc committee to study, steer and make recommendations on the project. That committee includes: Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann, NKY Port Board Chairman J.B. Lind and NKY Port Executive Director Christine Russell.
“The NKY Port brings unique real estate and development tools to the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence and we are grateful to Senator McDaniel and Judge/Executive Knochelmann for the opportunity to be a partner in the project,” Russell said. “The Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence will be an important contributor to life sciences talent, where projected employment growth is 49 percent.”
NKU President Cady Short-Thompson will lead negotiations on behalf of Chase Law, while College of Medicine Dean Charles Griffith will represent the University of Kentucky.
“This is the first step in what is a very exciting process for NKU and Northern Kentucky,” President Short-Thompson said. “We are looking forward to seeing proposals from the industry that will help shape the future of Chase College of Law.”
“This development is an exciting opportunity for our medical students at the UK College of Medicine-Northern Kentucky Campus, who have embraced that community and are constantly seeking ways to help others live healthier lives,” Dean Griffith said. “By joining this innovative center, our students and faculty will be embedded in the heart of the region, promoting a unique training experience and strong community connections.”
The current project timeline anticipates construction beginning in the fourth quarter of 2025, with the project estimated to be complete in second quarter of 2028.
Bids for the contract are due August 19. To access the complete RFP, visit nkyport.org.
Kenton County Fiscal Court