A thriving arts and entertainment district, a burgeoning IT corridor, corporate and residential developments along the riverfront and a $25 million center-city boutique hotel: These are just a few of the big things that are happening all over Covington.
It couldn't be better timing for
Gateway Technical & Community College, which recently unveiled plans for an $80 million urban campus in the heart of a Northern Kentucky community that has seen much commercial ebb and flow in its nearly 200-year history.
The plan — developed over the last decade by a consortium of forward-thinking college administrators, community leaders, developers, residents and business owners — calls for new construction and highlights adaptive re-use of nine existing Covington properties in the six square blocks from 4th to 7th Streets and Greenup to Madison Avenue.
Some of those building revitalization efforts will include:
- Introducing a new Technology & Design Center in the Madison Ave. space that once held Marx Furniture
- Repositioning the former YMCA on East Pike St. as a student services and workforce development office that will house the Eva and Oakley Farris Child Development Center
- Installing a Gateway Kaleidoscope Center for Urban Outreach at the Methodist Church at Fifth and Greenup Streets
- Creating a Science and Allied Health Teaching Center—to complement the newly redesigned Kenton County Library—in existing spaces along the 600-block of Scott Blvd.
- Renovating the former Two Rivers School at 525 Scott Blvd., which Gateway purchased in 2010 and will continue to use as a classroom and administrative space
Partnerships have been secured with the Public Library, Northern Kentucky Convention Center, Carnegie Center for Visual and Performing Arts, area food service, and retailers, as well as the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) — which will provide free shuttle service to Gateway students. These collaborations further cement the college as a force for progress in Covington.
Creating an urban academic hub
For Gateway President and CEO Ed Hughes, the need for a Covington campus was clear.
"Of the individuals age 25-64 who live in the River Cities of the urban core, only 15 percent hold a college certificate or degree. That's well below the national average of 31 percent," says Hughes. "Some might ask, Why not just focus on developing the [college's existing] Park Hills campus? Put simply, Park Hills is on the other side of the interstate, isolated from the majority of the population who consider themselves urban residents. It goes back to a long, successful strategy that community colleges across the country have employed, that you've got to be where people live and work."
Gateway plans to sell its Park Hills facility and use proceeds to fund the downtown project. Coordinators will seek additional funding from the Kentucky General Assembly, the Gateway Foundation and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
In keeping with its master goal to "increase access to urban residents of Northern Kentucky to a comprehensive community and technical college," the campus will offer post-secondary and dual-degree programs in a number of disciplines ranging from automotive technology to criminal justice and education.
Economic impact for Covington and beyond
Gateway hopes to enroll 2,500 students by 2014 and over 5,000 by 2020, which in consumer traffic alone could amount to big economic upside for Covington.
According to Normand G. Desmarais, Chairman & Founding Partner of
TiER1 Performance Solutions and board member for the Gateway Community and Technical College Foundation, the urban campus will have a "contagious" effect on the surrounding economy.
"As an investor and new resident of Covington, I'm just thrilled with these changes that are being made to the infrastructure," says Desmarais. "I think you'll find that the other property owners and businesses here will reach a critical mass, and you will start seeing people investing, adding retail and creating a domino-effect into housing and other areas. It's huge transformation for this city."
Equally exciting, especially in terms of sustainability, are the opportunities Covington offers for Gateway grads — as well as those graduates of neighboring NKU's College of Informatics — who will have access to the skilled worker and IT positions that have multiplied as a result of Northern Kentucky's remarkable economic growth in recent years.
"There are opportunities for all kinds of jobs — not just jobs in IT or biomedical, although we have a strong corridor here — but other jobs as well. Our graduates will be able to compete successfully for those jobs, whether they require a 15-hour certificate, an associate's degree or even funneling [through credit-articulation programs] into the University of Cincinnati or Northern Kentucky University for a bachelor's degree. We're preparing that population to take jobs that require their advanced skills."
Savannah, other urban campuses as models
During initial conversations, the project coordinators explored other cities where urban campuses have proved successful. One source of inspiration was Georgia's Savannah College of Art & Design, which relies on a combination of modern architecture, green and pedestrian-friendly spaces and conscientious repurposing of existing structures to create a presence that spans well beyond campus.
Hughes was also able to draw on vast experience in articulating his plans for Covington. During the late '80s and early '90s, he played a pivotal role in advancing Gateway's Hazard, Ky. location from one building that served 600 students to a four-campus complex that now serves more than 4,000 students.
He sees similar potential for Covington and its outlying areas.
"In my 30-plus years of being a college president, and being involved in a variety of different projects and initiatives, this is the first time I really feel like I can say that this is a project that, over time, will pay for itself," says Hughes. "And it's the right thing to do as well."
Northern Kentucky Tri-ED works closely with the urban core, educational institutions and the existing business base to promote development and job creation. An available and educated workforce drives success for NKY as companies consider expansion in the community.