NKY's riverfront development earns kudos

"The Lane Report," a Lexington-based magazine that focuses on Kentucky business and economic development, features Northern Kentucky in its July issue, including a flattering cover story built around the recent history of riverfront development. The article particularly focuses on The Ascent condominiums going up in Covington and another Corporex effort, the Ovation project proposed in Newport.

"Riverside Resurgence," the article headlines. "The Ascent and Ovation projects are transforming Northern Kentucky into a regional capital."

The article goes on to say this: "What once was the sleepy, slightly tattered 'southern side of Cincinnati' has morphed into a real regional capital for the Bluegrass state, featuring a world-class convention center, a plethora of new hotel rooms and Class A office space with some of the most spectacular views in the country. "

It only can help Northern Kentucky to get that kind of free publicity, and it's a deserved validation of hard work by visionary people over a period of years. Nothing like this just happens. Kentucky is a slow-growth state with some positives, such as relatively low labor costs and affordable housing, that employers seek. But the state also brings negatives such as low levels of educational attainment, a general lack of racial diversity and one of the unhealthiest populations in America. On top of that, Northern Kentucky is not a traditional urban center but a region in the shadow of a major city, Cincinnati, with great assets but also great problems.

Debates on the merits and funding mechanisms for individual projects always are needed, but the hard work and foresight that turned Northern Kentucky into a success story must continue, too. Both sides of the river can benefit from that success.

The article also revisits the vision for the Ascent shared by Corporex CEO Bill Butler and noted architect Daniel Libeskind. As the swoop-like Ascent building nears completion, I'm convinced that architecture experts and students from around the world will be adding Covington to their lists of places to see, just as they have visited Racine, Wis., for decades to see the S.C. Johnson headquarters designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Ascent's value to the region will far exceed its considerable worth to the people buying condos there.