Local leaders break ground on new Kenton County Fox Ridge Park

Work on a new park in Kenton County is officially underway.

Local leaders broke ground on Kenton County’s new park project Monday morning. Dubbed Fox Ridge Park, the project will eventually see the conversion of the old Fox Run Golf Course in Independence into a 225-acre recreational and natural space.

“We have an opportunity here to take a property with a long history in our community and give it a new purpose that will benefit a much broader part of Kenton County,” said Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann. “And importantly, we’re going to do that while preserving much of what makes this property special.”

Located on Independence Station Road, the area formerly served as the Fox Run Golf Course. The county closed Fox Run at the end of 2019 after determining the course was no longer financially sustainable, averaging around 10,000 rounds a year against a roughly 30,000-round benchmark for a sustainable operation. Multiple advisors, including a National Golf Foundation study, recommended the closure.

Construction on the new park had already begun by the time of Monday’s groundbreaking. Moved earth and construction equipment were visible throughout the landscape. The fiscal court approved a first-phase construction contract with Prus Construction and released renderings of the park’s future amenities earlier this month.

The project will also integrate the neighboring Lincoln Ridge Park into the same infrastructure. Both parks will operate under the same Fox Ridge name and aegis, and the combined geographic footprint will make the new park the largest of the county’s seven parks. Although the park will include new amenities, including family-friendly waterworks, climbing equipment, a ropes course, about 20 miles of trails and a pump track, most of the land, about 70%, Knochelmann said, will remain an untouched natural space.

“Fox Ridge will give our residents opportunities for hiking, mountain biking, gathering with family and friends, playing, climbing, exploring and simply enjoying the outdoors,” Knochelmann said.

“The goal is to provide a park that serves users of all ages and abilities, allowing everyone to capture Kenton County’s pioneering spirit through adventure, exploration and discovery,” said John Cody, a project manager with design firm Bayer Becker, which is contributing to the park’s design process.

“I appreciate Kenton County has found a way to repurpose this asset in a way that can be enjoyed by all Kenton County-ans,” said Independence Mayor Chris Reinersman. “It’ll be a wonderful opportunity and a benefit to the city’s residents, to the county’s residents for years to come.”

The park will be divided into three sections, dubbed ridges, each one of which will focus on a different experience:

• Discovery Ridge will serve as the primary family and social area, featuring a fishing pond, dog park, fitness areas, playground, the water features, observation towers and ways to access the tree canopy. Restrooms and other necessities will also be found in this area.
• Adventure Ridge will focus on larger-scale recreation, namely the pump track, the ropes course, mountain biking trails and a pavilion.
• Nature Ridge is essentially everything else and will feature the park’s remaining open space, along with other activities related to enjoying and learning about the natural landscape.

The park will remain closed to the public throughout the construction process. It is slated to reopen in August 2028.