The Boone County Planning Commission is considering a zone change for a 5.7-acre plot of land just off Mineola Pike and Olympic Boulevard in Hebron. If approved, the land would be developed into a new commercial complex as one step in the journey to reimagine CirclePort.
Corporex, the Covington-based real estate developer behind CirclePort, requested that the commission change the land’s zoning designation from Rural Suburban to Commercial-2.
The area of land in question is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Mineola Pike and Olympic Boulevard. It also includes the properties at 3331 and 3333 Mineola Pike properties and 3332 and 3334 Booneland Trail.
On July 24, the planning commission’s zone change committee recommended approval for the change. The next step is for the planning commission to vote on whether to recommend the zone change at its next business meeting on August 7.
The prospective zone change would pave the way for a 37,300-square-foot commercial complex featuring six buildings. Concept plans shared at the meeting featured plots for a 6,300-square-foot gas station and convenience store, three commercial buildings and two drive-thru restaurants. The commercial buildings would vary in size from 5,000 to 11,000 square feet.
According to Corporex’s website, the potential use of the 5.7 acres are a multi-use retail center with a fuel center, convenience store, EV charging station, restaurant, and retail strip.
The zone change recommendation came with several attached conditions, one of which limits the number of drive-thru eating establishments to only two.
Corporex has a long history of large-scale development projects in Northern Kentucky. Besides CirclePort, the company developed the Covington River Center complex and is currently building the $1 billion Ovation complex at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers in Newport.
Regarding CirclePort, the 650-acre development is located around Mineola Pike off I-275. It’s primarily been a business-park-focused development since its opening in the 1980s. It is home to large businesses such as Archer-Daniels-Midland, Fischer Homes, TQL, Answers in Genesis, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Toyota Boshoku.
Corporex regards CirclePort as the front door to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport – one of Northern Kentucky’s most important economic assets.
“This is the first land they see,” Corporex Chief Real Estate Officer Tom Banta said during a media event about CirclePort in February. “This is their first impression of what Kentucky looks like.”
As such, Corporex unveiled plans to revamp the business park into a mixed-use development complete with hotels, apartment complexes, restaurants, and a connection to an extensive trail system. The rezoning of the aforementioned land is a small part of a larger development project.
The goal is to attract relocating companies and new workers into the region by adding more quality-of-life amenities – nature trails, dog parks, recreation venues and outdoor gathering spaces – to the development.
