GALLERY: U.S. 27 project groundbreaking at campus entrance

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Colin Johnson

Officials from NKU, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, OrthoCincy, Fairmount Properties, Campbell County and the Kentucky State Senate break ground on the U.S. 27 development project on Nunn Drive Oct. 18, 2018.

Officials broke ground Thursday on the site of a new medical office building that will house regional healthcare providers at the entrance to campus.

Phase I of the campus entrance project includes a 70,000 square-foot building to house St. Elizabeth Healthcare medical offices providing urgent, primary and specialty care to NKU and the surrounding region. OrthoCincy will offer orthopedic services and physical therapy.

The building is scheduled to open in early 2020.

“It’s exciting to see the first phase of the gateway project underway and already transforming the entrance to our campus,” NKU President Dr. Ashish Vaidya said in a news release. “This development has been a long time coming, and it is a great example of an innovative public-private partnership.”

Garren Colvin, President and CEO of St. Elizabeth Healthcare said the partnership will bring quality healthcare closer to a growing NKU-Highland Heights community.

“Today, we are one step closer to making Northern Kentucky one of the healthiest communities in the country by being ‘right here’ in Highland Heights,” Colvin said in a news release Thursday.

Later phases of the campus entrance project will see new restaurants, retail, apartments, hotel, parking and new public gathering spaces on the south side of Nunn Drive.

Among the honored guests who broke ground Thursday included Vaidya, Board of Regents Vice Chair Andrá Ward, Highland Heights Mayor Greg Meyers, St. Elizabeth Physicians CEO Dr. Robert Prichard, St. Elizabeth Corporate Vice President and COO Gary Blank, St. Elizabeth Physicians Senior Vice President and COO Jacob Bast, OrthoCincy CEO JoAnn Reis, State Senator Wil Schroder, Judge Executive Steve Pendery, County Commissioner Tom Lampe, NKY Chamber President and CEO Brent Cooper, Fairmount Properties Principal Adam Fishman, Fairmount Principal Eric Louttit and Fairmount New Projects Manager Adam Branscomb.