A new development similar to Covington Yard is being planned for Oakley. A development group led by Curo’s Josh Niederhelman and Mark Hemberger, which was behind the popular Newport hangout, are heading the project, which will reside in the southwest corner of Oakley Station next to the Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield office.
The 3.5-acre space will offer the amenities of Covington Yard and more, including an indoor-outdoor food hall, courtyard, large game area, kid zone, parking lot with 102 spots, spaces to rent out for private parties and two 18-hole miniature golf courses.
The food hall will feature a bar and four restaurant options, including local operators, who have not yet been selected but will be over the next few months. The adjacent courtyard will offer more outdoor seating, yard games, TVs, elevated patios and a large stage.
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“We saw a gap in the entertainment experience of Oakley for something that had an outdoor component, and that’s really where we saw an opportunity for our concept to not only support and grow the existing businesses, but thrive in that area and provide another opportunity for the families and individuals to have a new venue,” Niederhelman said.
With the space being larger than the Covington development, Niederhelman and Hemberger’s group was also looking to incorporate a new entertainment element, which is where the idea for mini-golf came in. The two courses will look more like real golf courses than the typical colorful mini-golf setups and be split into easy and difficult options. Together, they’ll take up about an acre of space.
“If you look at mini-golf locations around greater Cincinnati, we identified a gap in the geography of those and felt that this was a good opportunity to incorporate a low-impact entertainment option with a community gathering space,” Niederhelman said. “It provided a way for us to hit a wider audience, with respect to families, business outings and other groups. So, that was primarily why we settled on this opportunity.”
Besides the extra space, the group was also drawn to the location due to the proposed pedestrian tunnel, which would run underneath the Oakley railyard and connect Oakley Station to Neyer Properties’ Three Oaks residential project.
“The area being right off the planned pedestrian tunnel was a great way for us to anchor the other end of the Oakley Station development,” Niederhelman said.
The group is currently in the process of asking the city of Cincinnati to amend the development plan, which was originally going to designate the area for office space. If approved, Niederhelman says construction will begin right away and will hopefully be open by spring of 2023.
The group is partnering with Elevar Design Group, IBI Group and R.J. Beischel Building Co. for the project. Currently, they do not have a total cost estimate for the development.
