A long-vacant stretch of downtown Newport that once hosted the World Peace Bell is finally on deck for a major remake, with Urban Sites unveiling fresh renderings for a $36 million mixed-use midrise at 400 Monmouth. The proposal shows apartments stacked above street-level retail, with the project pitched as a way to reconnect Monmouth Street to the riverfront and the Levee. If it moves forward, the building would plug one of the city’s most visible development holes and put more housing in the heart of downtown.
As reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier, Urban Sites is calling the project "400 Monmouth," puts the price tag near $36 million, and says it expects to break ground once permitting and financing fall into place. The Courier’s first-look coverage includes renderings and a statement from the developer outlining those next steps.
What’s planned
City filings show the block, bounded by Monmouth and York streets between Fourth and Fifth, has been targeted for a multi-building redevelopment for years. The City of Newport's FY2025 report notes that Urban Sites is advancing a seven-story building with roughly 120 residential units and ground-floor commercial space as one piece of the larger plan for the block.
Local reporting and earlier approvals also spell out companion hotel and parking components that are moving ahead on neighboring parcels, a sign the block is being rebuilt in phases rather than all at once. LINK nky has been tracking those approvals and design details as each piece clicks into place.
How the site got here
Plans to overhaul the World Peace Bell block have been percolating for years, with demolition and the bell’s temporary relocation clearing the slate for new construction. Local television coverage documented the teardown and early site work, and also reported on the related hotel and parking projects moving forward on the same block. WCPO has covered the bell relocation, demolition, and those companion plans.
Timeline and what comes next
Urban Sites told the Cincinnati Business Courier it expects to break ground on the midrise once remaining permits and financing are secured, although the developer has not put a firm date on shovels hitting the ground. In the meantime, city staff and commissioners continue to process actions tied to the adjacent hotel and parking projects, reinforcing the phased buildout strategy for the full block.
Why it matters
City officials say the combined investments on the former World Peace Bell block will add badly needed housing, significantly expand downtown parking capacity, and generate long-term tax revenue. Those outcomes are highlighted in Newport’s fiscal report as central to the city’s downtown strategy. As plans move from glossy renderings toward actual construction, 400 Monmouth will serve as an early test of whether Newport’s recent development momentum can carry a larger-scale residential project in the city’s core.
