Starting this evening, drivers coming off Main Street can use about 100 parking spaces in the evening hours in the garage being built as part of the RiverHaus development.
COVINGTON, Ky. - About 100 parking spots will be open to the public starting this evening in the garage built in MainStrasse Village as part of the RiverHaus Apartments complex under construction.
The parking in the garage at Fifth and Main streets will be free on a temporary basis and will be limited to the hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Saturday and all day Sunday. Vehicle owners will need to remove their vehicles by 5 a.m. each day or risk being towed, so as to avoid any interference or inconveniences with the ongoing construction of RiverHaus.
Access to the garage can be gained on the Main Street side.
Covington officials praised RiverHaus developer Flaherty & Collins Properties and its local representative, Deron Kintner, for accommodating the City’s request and taking the unusual step of allowing parking on an active construction site.
“We’re well aware that construction of this exciting project took away parking used by patrons of MainStrasse Village, and that’s why we wanted to replace that parking as soon as it was possible to do in a safe manner,” City Manager David Johnston said. “This has been a long time coming, but the wet weather - especially in early spring - has interfered.”
The City had hoped to have the garage open last week, but the freezing rain delayed work to prepare the garage. The garage also had to be approved for temporary occupancy by safety inspectors with the Covington Fire Department and PDS (Planning & Development Services of Kenton County).
RiverHaus, located at 501 Main St., will bring about 190 luxury apartments, retail space, and a two-story parking garage to the City-owned property and a nearby parking lot. About 100 spaces in the garage will remain open to the public, with the rest reserved for residents.
Ground was broken in December 2017, and the first phase of its residential development is scheduled to be finished in summer 2019.
Parking will be free only temporarily, with a fee structure expected to start probably around the beginning of the new year.
Covington Economic Development Director Tom West said the City was cognizant of the needs of MainStrasse Village bars and restaurants as it worked with Kintner, PDS, and the Fire Department to get the additional parking open in time for the annual holiday events season.
“It’s an important time of the year for our small businesses, so we appreciate the collaboration on this,” he said.
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