Neyer Properties Sells Land Along Mall Road to TANK
Neyer Properties has sold 2.4 acres at the corner of Heights Boulevard and Mall Road in Florence to the Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky (TANK) for a new Park & Ride. It will be located directly off I-75, one half-mile south of Florence Mall, Northern Kentucky’s only indoor regional shopping center. The new hub will connect the mall to TANK’s 19 other transit locations.
TANK provides transit services to Boone, Campbell, and Kenton counties in Kentucky as well as downtown Cincinnati. It operates 27 routes 365 days a year.
Construction on the Park & Ride should begin by early fall, said Seth Pirie, development project manager at Neyer Properties. The site will consist of a shelter for riders as well as 200 parking spots. The company will begin design and site work within the next 60 days.
Neyer also has two highly-visible commercial outlots fronting Mall Road that are ready for development. “The dearth of frontage options along Mall Road makes the two outlots available there a desirable location and great opportunity,” said Pirie. “We’ve already started talking with a variety of retailers who need great visibility, lots of foot traffic and plenty of parking.”
TANK estimates that combined ridership from these five routes will be approximately 3,300 people each weekday, resulting in more than 900,000 riders each year. The majority of those riders will pass through the new Florence hub. Mall Road alone sees 11.8 million vehicles each year, according to the Business Courier.
“We chose Heights Boulevard because of the availability of undeveloped land and because the excellent interstate access would allow our express routes to service the facility with minimal delay,” said Gina Douthat, TANK director of communications and development. “Proximity to the Florence Mall was a major consideration as well, especially since the city of Florence is making major streetscape and pedestrian improvements to Mall Road.”
The state of Kentucky recently committed $13 million to add new sidewalks, traffic signals, turn lanes and grassy, landscaped boulevards over the next two years. This first phase of work has already begun; TANK’s new hub construction will coincide with the improvements. The corridor’s second phase of work is anticipated to begin next year.
“This is a welcome addition to the city of Florence and to continued Mall Road redevelopment,” said Diane Whalen, Florence mayor. “The location of the new facility is ideal for TANK and should make the ease and accessibility of bus transportation an attractive and viable option for both the business commuter as well as the general public.”