Progress for Revitalization Full Steam Ahead!

The City of Covington would like to announce the progress that has been made on our Downtown Revitalization Efforts. We have been very busy the past serval months and want to update the community and our businesses. We will be advertising a new position for a Small Business Coordinator later this week which will help with business recovery, growth, and retention for the City. This person will support our local Olde Town Covington Organization and further our efforts to be a certified Main Street Organization. The City has been working with our engineering firm Timmons Group to update our overall façade downtown. We have also been working through the assessments for improvements that were discussed in the Downtown Revitalization Plan which include two areas for gathering and event space in our Downtown area. Our Revitalization efforts have developed an option agreement with a well-known and successful business developer. This developer will be assessing Project Sparkle (former downtown department store) for some of the following items such as housing, retail, attractions, hospitality services, and light manufacturing. The developer states that “DNA Investments and Cross Creek Hospitality are both excited about the opportunity to participate in the downtown revitalization efforts in Covington. It has been a pleasure working with representatives from the City, the IDA, and The Chamber of Commerce over the past few months. We feel strongly that our mission to help better the communities and the lives of those in it through downtown revitalization fits perfectly with the plan that has been presented to us. Our recent project in White Sulphur Springs, WV which includes Road Hog’s BBQ, Cross Creek Cafe, Cross Creek Event Center, and Big Draft Brewing Lager House and Restaurant has been a great success. We strongly feel that we will see the same positive response and results in a new, family-friendly multi-attraction facility in Covington. Be patient as we plan out the next food, beverage, and entertainment adventure.” City Manager Krystal Onaitis states “We are thrilled to be working together towards a brighter future for Downtown Covington, and within the next 12 months, we are working to strategically position ourselves to have a strong competitive application where we will seek up to $1M from DHCD for facade improvements along Main St.” With these developments, Covington City Council has created a Revitalization Agreement and Resolution to designate Downtown as a Revitalization Zone. All of these exciting developments are to help us pull together as a community and assist our business community to recover, grow and strive. In doing so we will be creating a unique Downtown Area for future generations to enjoy and utilize for many years to come.