Latonia Plaza II, former home of big box retailers like Value City and Burlington Coat Factory, is being reimagined as a warehouse for a growing logistics company.
Purchased in 2022 by Ohio-based Keller Logistics Group, the 193,000-square-foot complex at 4293 Winston Ave. is undergoing renovations to house the company’s warehousing and co-packing operation. Currently, their co-packing operation is located at 3780 Lake Park Drive in Covington.
Keller’s future Latonia operation will focus on repackaging bulk food and beverage products into variety packs for retail sale. The renovation is expanding the company’s payroll by $1.2 million and adding 25 full-time jobs.
“Keller’s goal through this entire endeavor has been to convert this property into a place where we can plant our flag to let both our customers and employees know we are in it for the long haul to generate additional business and long-term jobs,” Keller COO Nate Schaublin said.
In total, the renovation is projected to cost $3.5 million. Keller tapped Hemmer Construction for the project’s contracting work.
On Tuesday, the City of Covington pitched in a forgivable three-year façade loan of $87,410 to retrofit the building’s exterior. Keller is also investing $350,000 in the exterior work, which includes redesigning the entrance, adding new signs, painting, and landscaping the parking lot.
“It sends a signal in Latonia that, number one, the city is committed to that area and that, number two, a shopping center that’s been very ‘tired’ for a number of years is going through a change now – getting away from retail and into more industrial and commerce uses,” Covington Economic Development Director Tom West said in a press release.
Formerly the site of the Latonia Racetrack, Columbus-based Schottenstien Property Group purchased the property and redeveloped it into a retail strip mall that opened in 1964.
The empty big box store space was previously divided into two separate sides. On one side was Value City, while the other was Burlington Coat Factory. Value City closed in the summer of 2013, and Burlington Coat Factory closed in 2019.
