As CirclePort’s transformation progresses, Corporex, a Covington-based investment firm, wants to develop a small property near the office park into a restaurant complex.
The property in question, a 2.8-acre parcel of land at 1681 Erlanger Road, is directly next to CirclePort, a 650-acre office park that straddles Boone and Kenton counties. The parcel borders several single-family homes that face I-275.
To proceed with the restaurant complex, Steve Berling, a civil engineer who has worked with Corporex, requested a zone change on behalf of the firm. Specifically, Corporex seeks to change the property’s zoning designation from Rural Suburban to Commercial Two.
The Boone County Planning Commission evaluated Corporex’s zone change request during a meeting on March 5.
“The commission is recommending approval of this request on the basis that the proposed C-2 district, along with the submitted concept plan, is consistent with the land use element which identifies the site for business park the submitted concept plan, in the case of development of two restaurants,” Boone County Zoning Administrator Michael Schwartz said during the meeting.
Corporex plans to build a 6,000-square-foot restaurant and a 2,800-square-foot drive-thru restaurant on the property. A concept development plan submitted to the Boone County Planning Commission calls for over 90 parking spaces and a retaining pond for stormwater drainage.
Berling told the commission that no reported tenets exist for either the drive-thru or sit-down restaurant as of now. Additionally, Berling said there was no concrete timeline for the project, but Corporex could potentially start construction sometime in 2026.
“If we’ve got everything going, it would be next year before we got everything started, I would think,” Berling said.
Mineola Pike, the primary entrance off I-275 into CirclePort, is bustling with construction activity spurred by Corporex. Several apartment complexes are under construction, including Velo CirclePort, a 233-unit apartment community under development by Arlington Properties.
Previously, the CirclePort area east of Mineola Pike was populated by several single-family homes. Over the decades, many of those homes have been demolished to make way for commercial development along the roadway.
Due to its proximity to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, CirclePort is dubbed the gateway into the Greater Cincinnati region. It is home to several large companies, including Archer-Daniels-Midland, Fischer Homes, TQL, Answers in Genesis, St. Elizabeth Healthcare and Toyota Boshoku.
In the past two years, Corporex has invested millions of dollars in CirclePort, intending to transform it into a mixed-use development with greater ‘quality-of-life’ amenities such as hotels, apartment complexes, walking trails, and restaurants.
Just last summer, Corporex was granted a similar zoning map change for a neighboring property off Mineola Pike and Olympic Boulevard. Corporex plans to build a 37,300-square-foot commercial complex, including a 6,300-square-foot gas station and convenience store, three commercial buildings and two drive-thru restaurants.
After several minutes of deliberation, the planning commission unanimously passed the request. Next up, Corporex must get approval from the Boone County Fiscal Court who has final say on all zoning matters in unincorporated Boone County.
