This week, the Northern Kentucky Port Authority, in partnership with Kenton County, selected HDR to serve as project manager for the planned Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence in Covington.
HDR was unanimously picked by a selection committee comprised of representatives from Kenton County, the NKY Port, the City of Covington, Northern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky. The NKY Port’s board of directors voted to accept HDR’s bid at a special meeting Tuesday, Sept. 10, and will now negotiate a contract with HDR.
The Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence, originally announced in March and funded by the Kentucky General Assembly in the most recent state budget, will relocate Northern Kentucky University’s Salmon P. Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s Northern Kentucky campus to Covington. It will build on Covington’s growing status as a hub of entrepreneurship, innovation and life sciences.
“From day one, we’ve known executing a project as transformational as bringing Northern Kentucky University and the University of Kentucky to our urban core is a massive undertaking,” Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann said. “We’re grateful to have a project partner with the depth of experience that HDR does. Their team has the vision and talent to bring this phenomenal concept to reality.”
As project manager, HDR will play an integral role in the Center’s planning, design and construction, working hand-in-hand with the NKY Port, NKU and UK teams to execute the $125 million initiative.
One of HDR’s first tasks will be conducting site analysis and providing acquisition assistance to finalize the Center’s location.
The County and its partners are working with the City of Covington to finalize a site for the project, though nothing has been acquired yet. Currently, the site selection process is focused primarily, though not exclusively, on the Covington Central Riverfront, the City-led redevelopment of the 23-acre former IRS site adjacent to the Ohio River.
“I’m looking forward to engaging HDR in this meaningful project and bringing their expertise to the table as we embark on identifying a location, designing world-class facilities and constructing the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence with our partners, Kenton County, NKU and UK,” said Christine Russell, executive director of the NKY Port and vice president of strategy for BE NKY Growth Partnership.
Founded in 1917, HDR has offices in more than 200 locations around the world, with experts in both the law school and health care design space.
“It is a privilege for HDR to serve as Owner’s Representative and Project Manager to advance the bold vision of all stakeholders in bringing the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence to life in the great city of Covington, Kentucky,” Brice Clawson, project manager for HDR, said. “Thank you to the selection committee for this opportunity, we look forward to getting to work!”
In March, Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights) spearheaded a push to secure $125 million in state funding for the project. The County will receive $10 million in the current fiscal year to
begin the project’s development, including buying the land upon which it will be built. The remaining funds will be distributed in the 2025-2026 fiscal year to cover construction costs.
Once complete, the project will return Chase Law to Covington, where it was located from 1972 to 1981. Chase Law will bring 450 students and 30 faculty members to Covington.
“We are excited to see this project moving forward,” NKU President Cady Short-Thompson said. “The Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence will be transformational for our entire community giving Chase students unparalleled access to the heart of the legal community and invaluable opportunities for practical experience and networking.”
The facility also will give the UK College of Medicine – Northern Kentucky campus, which opened in 2019, the necessary space to grow its enrollment 40%, supporting up to 200 students.
“For medical students, training in Kentucky often leads to practicing in Kentucky, and that is a crucial need for our state as it faces a dire physician shortage,” UK College of Medicine Dean Charles Griffith said. “Joining the Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence will enable us to prepare more physicians who are dedicated to serving Kentuckians and beyond.”
The current project timeline anticipates construction beginning in the fourth quarter of 2025, with it estimated to be complete in second quarter of 2028.
