COVINGTON, Ky. — Since 1953, the City Heights complex has been situated atop a Covington hill. The 76.5-acre property is comprised of 366 units, which accommodated around 1,000 people.
Over the years, the Housing Authority of Covington said the complex deteriorated, leading up to 2019, when the city reported the complex was not "safe, decent (or) sanitary."
The housing authority reported that, due to years of deferred maintenance, the cost of repair would have been over $50 million according to a third-party assessment.
A few years later, residents were assisted in moving out of the complex. The final resident left in April 2024.
Fast forward 14 months, and the Housing Authority of Covington announced it is looking for a developer to purchase the former complex and breathe new life into the neighborhood.
"This is a great opportunity for a lot of folks," Housing Authority Executive Director Steve Arlinghaus told us.
As of June 18, the housing authority has released a "formal Request for Qualifications" (RFQ). Developers have until July 31 to answer the RFQ, according to the housing authority.
Watch to learn more about what the housing authority is looking for in a potential developer:
The housing authority reported that once the RFQs have been answered, three finalists will be selected. Then, the selected developers will submit a detailed proposal, and a committee will make a final selection according to the housing authority.
"We’ll probably have a mixture of residential homes; it could be single-family, condominiums definitely, there’ll be some apartments here. And we’re looking for various price points," Arlinghaus said.
The housing authority described their hope for the project as a "vibrant, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood."
The housing authority's announcement included a vision for what it hopes a developer will do with the space once a sale is completed.
- Buy the property "as-is" and demolish the shuttered City Heights complex, whose official address is 2500 Todd Court.
- Redevelop the site into a cohesive, walkable neighborhood composed of a mix of residential types as well as possible retail and commercial spaces.
- Preserve as much as possible the unique character of the site, including the surrounding tree canopy, the topography, and viewsheds of the Cincinnati skyline and river valleys.
I asked Arlinghaus how that vision will be included in conversations with potential developers interested in the site.
“We’re very hopeful that they’ll take those concepts and put that into some kind of a process that we’ll say, OK, here’s what we’re looking at," Arlinghaus said.
Covington residents Doug and Bonita Matherly, who live a few streets away from the complex, told me one of their biggest concerns would be traffic since the complex has one way in and out.
"They need another way in and out," Bonita Matherly said.
I asked Arlinghaus about possible changes to streets and traffic patterns to and from the development site.
"We do believe there could be two or three potential access points in and out of here," Arlinghaus said.
The housing authority's executive director added that the city would need to be involved for certain traffic adjustments.
Once a sale is completed, the housing authority said it will use the proceeds to help with repairs at other complexes owned by the authority. Those include Latonia Terrace and the Golden Tower high-rise.
You can read more information about the history of City Heights and the search for a developer here.
