Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence

The 120,000-square-foot Commonwealth Center for Biomedical Excellence will house the Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law and the University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s Northern Kentucky campus on a 1.89-acre site at 11 East Rivercenter Blvd. in Covington. The groundbreaking is planned for summer 2026.

This new building will locate in an urban, walkable area, giving students access to needed amenities. Students at the UK College of Medicine will be just blocks from LifeSciKY, CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services, Bexion Pharmaceuticals, Gravity Diagnostics, and St. Elizabeth Healthcare’s Covington campus, and students at the Chase College of Law will study within two miles of the region’s 25 largest law firms and five federal and state courthouses. In March 2024, Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-Ryland Heights) helped secure $125 million in state funding for the center.

Project Details:

Address:

11 East Rivercenter Blvd.

Future tenants:

Northern Kentucky University Salmon P. Chase College of Law

University of Kentucky College of Medicine’s Northern Kentucky campus

Design-Builder Team, named March 2026:

Pepper Construction
MSA Design
SLAM
THP Limited
Heapy
The Kleingers Group
Design 27

Owner’s representative:

HDR, named September 2024

Key Partners:

Kenton County
Northern Kentucky Port Authority
Northern Kentucky University
University of Kentucky

Funding:

$125 Million
HB 1, Kentucky General Assembly, April 2024

Parking:

A 170-space parking garage will include 70 dedicated spaces for short-term visits and retail/restaurant patrons. The building is also adjacent to the Kenton County Parking Garage, which has space for 1,500 vehicles.