Most of the signs on the 600 block of Monmouth Street are already down. On October 9, the City of Newport took the exterior signs off Huddles Cafe and The Brass Bull. LINK nky reported that the city is storing them inside rather than throwing them away. Across the street, the neon at the Brass Ass is still in place.
The city did that on purpose. Newport has written separate plans for the two sides of this block, and the side carrying the old neon is the side it most wants to keep. The plainer side, with the parking lots and the one-story Brass Bull and Huddles buildings, is the one the city is willing to see cleared. Developers' proposals for both are due Friday, November 20, at 4 p.m.
How The City Ended Up Owning A Block Of Monmouth
On July 23, the Newport Board of Commissioners approved buying nine properties on and around the 600 block for $3.8 million, according to LINK nky's coverage of the vote. The city said the money came from its project funds and was not borrowed. The package included the Brass Ass, the Brass Bull, Huddle's Cafe, a long-vacant building at 609 Monmouth and the parking lots that went with them.
The seller, Newport CRE LLC, had pulled the nine parcels together from several earlier owners for $3.5 million. CityBeat reported that the $300,000 difference reflected the value of a site that was already assembled and ready for redevelopment. Under the purchase agreements, the businesses had to stop operating before the sale closed.
The city doesn't plan to keep any of it. "The city did not want to be a developer, nor does it want to be a landlord," Assistant City Manager Brian Steffen said at a September 9 Historic Preservation Commission meeting, as LINK nky reported. Newport intends to sell the properties and recover as much of the purchase price as it can.
Two Sides Of Monmouth, Two Different Instructions
On October 9, the city issued two requests for proposals, one for each side of the street. A developer can bid on one site or both, and the city may choose different developers for each.
| West side of the 600 block | East side of the 600 block | |
|---|---|---|
| Request | RFP 2026-MON-2 | RFP 2026-MON-1 |
| Addresses | 609, 613 and 615 Monmouth, plus 612–616 Dayton | 620–628 Monmouth |
| Size | Five parcels, about 0.42 acres, running through to Dayton Street | Four parcels, about 0.41 acres |
| What's there | The vacant 609 building, the Brass Ass building at 613, and a gap at 615 | Mostly surface parking, plus the one-story Brass Bull and Huddle's buildings |
| City's stance | Keep and restore the street-level fronts and neon, then build above and behind | Open to full redevelopment, including demolition |
The city describes the east-side buildings at 626 and 628 as altered and of fairly limited historic integrity. Members of the Historic Preservation Commission informally said they saw little historic value in them. Even so, demolition there would still need a Certificate of Appropriateness. The city's main design goal on that side is to close the gap in the street wall at 620 and 622, where parking now breaks up the row of storefronts.
Why The Neon Matters More Than The Building Behind It
From the sidewalk, the Brass Ass looks like the oldest thing on the block. Most of it is newer than that. City records show the building was largely torn down and rebuilt after a 1971 fire at what was then the Galaxy Club, and its facade, canopy and neon have been changed over the years. "Walking into that building is quite shocking when you actually look up into the ceiling tiles," Steffen told the commission.
The city's request is written around that fact. It says the building at 613 Monmouth "has been substantially altered, and its street-level façade and the neon signage are the elements of greatest value." Next door, 609 Monmouth has been mostly vacant for decades and is completely gutted inside. Steffen said it is probably in the best condition of the four buildings still standing and keeps more of its historic details.
The request also asks developers to treat the site's past as part of what comes next. It lists the signage, the façades, interpretive elements, naming and programming as ways to do that:
"The City encourages creative incorporation of the Site's history into its future identity ... in ways that are authentic rather than nostalgic."
That fits how the city has talked about Monmouth Street before. In 2025, Newport's economic development coordinator described it to LINK nky as having been "the heart of Sin City," and framed current efforts as celebrating the street's change and the businesses on it today. The new plan keeps the most famous sign from the old era and rules out the business behind it. Adult entertainment establishments are excluded and will be barred by a deed covenant.
The plan also covers the 22.5-foot gap in the street wall at 615 Monmouth. The city wants it filled with new construction that looks clearly contemporary rather than copying historic styles, while matching the scale, rhythm and materials of the buildings on either side.
How Tall It Could Get, And What Goes At Street Level
On the west side, the request welcomes "significant density" above and behind the Monmouth Street buildings. It names residential, hotel, office and hospitality uses for the upper floors and doesn't set a height. Steffen told the commission that Monmouth Street zoning has no specific height limit. Building costs rise sharply above 75 feet, though, which is why projects like this often stop at about seven stories. He also said the numbers will likely require "either a residential component or a hotel component, something along the lines that would go vertical."
At street level, the city wants restaurants, shops, entertainment and hospitality that stay open for much of the day and evening. It discourages ordinary offices along the Monmouth frontage. Some places within a few blocks already work that way. Strong's Brick Oven Pizzeria reopened at 708 Monmouth in April after moving into the former JerZee's space. Southgate House Revival hosts live music at 111 E. 6th Street. The Newport Syndicate, an event venue listed at 18 E. 5th Street in the Northern Kentucky Chamber's directory, is changing hands. Owner Sharon Forton is retiring after 31 years, and BB Riverboats takes over the venue on January 1, 2027, according to LINK nky.
Parking is the issue residents will hear about most. The request calls it "among the most consequential design and feasibility questions" and requires every proposal to include a parking plan. Developers can't count city-owned parking toward what their project needs. Off-site spaces count only if they are on a private lot within 650 feet and secured by a recorded agreement. Because the west-side site runs through to Dayton Street, the city wants parking, loading and service to come in from Dayton, keeping Monmouth for active uses. It also wants the Dayton Street side designed with care rather than treated as an alley.
What The City Will Weigh Besides Price
Newport isn't required to take the highest offer. The request says the city will choose based on feasibility, private investment, design quality, preservation where it fits, active street life, long-term tax value and public benefit. It reserves the right to pick a proposal with more public benefit over one with a higher purchase price. The public benefits it lists include public space improvements, housing at a range of price points, opportunities for local businesses, and sustainability.
The city also lists what it doesn't want. Surface parking as the main use, drive-throughs, and auto repair or vehicle sales are discouraged and unlikely to be chosen. Newport also has "no interest in a land-banking proposal that defers construction indefinitely."
The protections on the block come into play no matter who is chosen. The properties fall under the 1992 Monmouth Redevelopment Plan and a later demolition moratorium, so any demolition proposal has to come back for review. In the local historic district, new construction, exterior changes and demolition all need a Certificate of Appropriateness from the Newport Historic Preservation Commission, and the Design Review Board will also review the project.
When Residents Will See The Proposals
At the September meeting, a Newport resident asked why residents hadn't had more say in shaping the request before it went out. Steffen said residents will be able to comment once proposals arrive, most likely when the project goes before the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Board of Commissioners. The city's published schedule shows when that is expected to happen:
- Friday, November 13, 2026: The final addendum to the request is posted.
- Friday, November 20, 2026, 4 p.m.: Proposals are due.
- December 2026: A city committee evaluates the proposals and may interview a shortlist.
- January 2027, target: The committee recommends a preferred developer to the Board of Commissioners, and exclusive negotiations begin.
- Second quarter 2027, target: The board considers a development agreement and the sale of the property.
The city says every date after November 20 is a target that can move. The preferred proposal will be presented publicly, and the board will consider the development agreement at an open meeting. Both requests and their exhibits are posted on the City of Newport's bid page.
Once a developer is chosen, its design for the 600 block will go through historic and design review, and that review will turn on the same question every Certificate of Appropriateness review asks: which original parts stay, which come down, and what fits beside them. Rebecca has worked on that question from the design-review side in Covington and from the restoration side with her clients. If you'd like help reading the Monmouth Street proposals when they become public, or want to talk about how façade work like this affects an old house of your own, Rebecca Weber is glad to go through it with you. Let's Connect.
