The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has given Kenton County funds to conduct a feasibility study in order to identify whether or not their property at 1840 Simon Kenton Way in Covington is a viable place to build a new parking structure.
Gresham Smith, an architectural design firm in Blue Ash, was awarded the bid for the project’s feasibility study at the Kenton County Fiscal Court meeting on March 28.
A reimbursement agreement between the court and the cabinet for the feasibility study and pre-development services of a potential parking structure was also approved at the meeting. As per the agreement, KYTC will reimburse the county for up to $100,000 in pre-development expenses.
“This is the actual agreement and it will be how we get paid from the state,” Kenton County Administrator Joe Shriver said at the meeting.
Potentially building a new parking structure makes sense when considering the Kenton County Government Center’s proximity to Interstate 75. Once construction on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project begins, county employees who use the parking lots underneath I-75 will be displaced by the construction. Therefore, the county wants to consolidate onsite parking.
Gresham Smith submitted their pre-development proposal, which mentioned their idea to construct a new parking structure that can accommodate up to 250 vehicles. In addition, the proposal considers a weather-protected connector between the structure and the government center.
The proposal outlines that Gresham Smith will head the coordination of the consultant team responsible for providing basic and supplemental services. Gresham Smith would oversee the project’s architecture, structural engineering, landscape architecture, and cost estimating.
Meanwhile, Brandstetter Carroll would handle civil engineering services, and Elevar Design Group would provide mechanical, plumbing, and electrical engineering services as external contractors. Both firms are based in Cincinnati.
As of now, there are no completed architectural designs or renderings.
