By Andy Furman
NKyTribune reporter
It was promoted as a garage groundbreaking – but it was much more than that. The event will change the entire landscape of the downtown Newport
The ground-breaking ceremony for a new parking garage – on Fourth and York Streets – was just the tip of the iceberg for the city.
“We’re in the process of building a garage, a hotel, and an apartment building complex,” John Timmerding, VP/Operations for North Shore Construction & Development, told the Northern Kentucky Tribune, prior to the event, Wednesday afternoon.
“The garage,” he continued, “is planned for a Fall ’25 opening.” The dimensions – 155,000 square-feet, with five stories and 407 parking spaces. The value is about $16,200,000.”
As for the number of spaces, “We got as many as we could to accommodate the city of Newport.” There will be space in the garage available to the public.
The parking garage will be owned by the city, but as Timmerding said, it is part of a larger development spearheaded by local hotelier Shaun Pan, who owns the Hampton Inn & Suites on Columbia Street.
“We’ve been talking about the need for public parking for over 20 years,” said Newport City Manager Tom Fromme. “This investment addresses that need and also serves as an aid to economic development in our downtown.
Newport mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. called the garage a major milestone.
“As our city continues to develop and attract more businesses, visitors, and residents, it’s crucial that we invest in infrastructure that supports that growth,” said Guidugli.
“The hotel,” Timmerding said, “Will be a Hilton – dual brand – a Home Suites and Tru; with seven stories, 207 rooms, with a $40-million value.”
Timmerding said the apartment building complex is in its “infancy.” It will partner with Urban Suites of Cincinnati, he mentioned. “It’ll be about a $25 million project.”
North Shore Construction and Development Services is the designer, developer, and builder of all three projects, Mike Murray, Senior Superintendent for North Shore told the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
North Shore Construction and Development is an architecture firm based in Cincinnati, providing exceptional services to clients throughout the Midwest and Florida. Their team boasts decades of experience in the planning and design of various projects, including hospitality, healthcare, office, industrial/warehouse, retail, and restaurants.
“This is a big deal not only for North Shore, but for the city of Newport,” Murray said, “We have been working on this for about four years.”
And how.
The World Peace Bell was moved from the area and is presently in storage, Will Weber, President of Southbank Partners – who was at the event – told the Northern Kentucky Tribune.
“To make room for the proposed hotel,” Timmerding said, “we removed the South Bank Building and the bridge. When completed, the area will remind people of New York and Chicago.”
Why?
“There will be zero lot lines,” he said. “That translates to no green space between the building and the sidewalk. The building and sidewalk will be on all four corners.”
He said the garage entrance will be off Fifth Street, with another one on York.
As for the 70-ton, 12-foot tall and 12-foot-wide World Peace Bell – which was moved in mid-August — well not to fret. A permanent place for it will be found after it is repaired.
“The stone from the Bell and the medallion will be placed in the lobby of the hotel – in the same exact spot where the Bell was originally located,” Timmerding said.
As for the garage, it will be side-by-side to the hotel – very similar to the Battery project in Atlanta, according to Timmerding. “One can park their vehicle and walk directly into the hotel lobby,” he said. “This will be a state of art garage; a pre-cast garage, with brick cast into pre-cast.”
There will be an Ivy Screen – for ivy to grow outside on the walls — and an EV charging station in the aggregate which will be synced with the hotel.
“All guests need to do is swipe a card.”
Pat Crowley also contributed to this report.