Architecture and infrastructure are keys to Greiwe Development’s latest project
When Rick Greiwe founded Greiwe Development over 18 years ago, his goal was not to build a large impersonal organization. Rather, this veteran of community development projects in the Cincinnati area sought to partner on building condominiums that offered unique architecture and upscale interior designs that fit in well with the surrounding neighborhoods while catering to an active lifestyle that offered walkability to available amenities and attractions.
“Greiwe Development builds exclusively in premier locations, with exceptional architecture and expressive interior finishes,” says Greiwe. “My company specializes in developing residences in walkable neighborhoods with an engaging mix of dining, shopping and recreational amenities. In short, I build in neighborhoods that already have good bones.”
Greiwe Development’s new One Highland project in Fort Thomas is an excellent case in point.
Located at the corner of Fort Thomas and Highland avenues, One Highland is a mixed-use luxury condominium development that features 12,985 square feet of street level retail/office space and 18 single-level condominiums. It was developed in partnership with North American Properties and Sibcy Cline and a design team that includes M+A Architecture, Martin Koepke Design, Architectural Lighting and Design and Greiwe Interiors. The project is represented by Sibcy Cline Realtors.
The Residences at One Highland are on track for a grand opening in April of next year, offering future residents luxury modern living in the heart of Fort Thomas. Like other projects from Greiwe Development, architecture was extremely important for One Highland. M+A Architects’ Sari Lehtinen developed an architectural language that was rich and varied yet reminiscent of the other homes along Fort Thomas streets.
“Sari with M+A Architecture has been a great partner,” says Greiwe. “Prior to starting the project, we drove through the neighborhoods in Fort Thomas and tried to pick up design cues from the different types of architecture in the town to make sure we came up with something that is reminiscent of other buildings in surrounding neighborhoods.”
Like the stone tower design feature on the corner of the building, which is reminiscent of the iconic Fort Thomas water tower.
Martin Koepke Design is handling landscape design, “and then we have our lighting designer, Rob Ellis, of Architectural Landscape Lighting and Design, who makes sure the buildings in all of our developments use subtle lighting that highlights the architectural features of our buildings,” adds Greiwe.
To top it all off, yet another partner, Greiwe Interiors—a separate company owned by Rick’s brother Doug Greiwe and one of the oldest and most respected interior design firms in the nation—selected the interior fixtures and finishes for each owner to use in creating an individual, stunning home.
Each residence of One Highland offers the convenience of one-level living with elevator access to an enclosed garage. Open residential floor plans and large windows provide a sense of elegant simplicity and spaciousness. The interiors have high ceilings and include hardwood flooring, quartz countertops, furniture-grade cabinetry, Sub-Zero and Wolf built-in appliances, Kohler plumbing fixtures and gas fireplaces.
One Highland’s mixed-use design also includes a unique mix of businesses to complement the lifestyle of the condo owners above while also serving the Fort Thomas community. The development’s first commercial business, Fort Thomas Coffee, has purchased the 3,600-square-foot corner location. Bisbe Capital, a Raymond James Financial Services affiliate, has also announced its intention to move into One Highland. Announcements of other new businesses locating to One Highland should follow in the weeks to come.
One Highland is the most recent development from Greiwe Development and its partners. If you’d like to take a look at some of the other communities developed by Greiwe, you can head to their website at ftthomaslifestyle.com. Or you can take a drive up to Mariemont and view the unique Tudor architecture at Jordan Park, Emery Park, Nolen Park, Livingood Park and Hampstead Park. There also is Park Place at Lytle in downtown Cincinnati and 2770 Observatory in Hyde Park.
But One Highland is unique in its own right and designed specifically for Fort Thomas and Northern Kentucky.
“This is a new product that really hasn’t been seen a lot in Northern Kentucky,” says Greiwe. “A lot of the condos in Northern Kentucky are high-rise products near the water’s edge, or they are attached townhouses.
“These are flats, with a large garage underneath. Residents can take an elevator directly to their floor and everything is on one level, which makes it unique. The location in a neighborhood with a small-town atmosphere makes it unique.”
The overall design is perfect for Greiwe’s target audiences.
“Which are pretty much the same as all of our other developments,” Greiwe says. “My target demographic includes people who are 50 and above; people whose kids have gone to college, who are still very active, but who want to downsize.
“My second audience are the folks who are still very active and are working, but who want a second home. They don’t want to worry about their home in Fort Thomas or Cincinnati while they are away. And while they are gone, they don’t want to worry about any maintenance or repair issues.”
A third audience are retirees who want to age in place.
“These condos are really well designed for that,” says Greiwe. “The doorways are wide, there are no threshold to showers and elevators take you down to the street level where everything is within walking distance.”
Of course, that active urban lifestyle design also appeals to younger working professionals, Greiwe admits.
“We do attract a lot of working professionals who don’t want kids and who don’t need a big house,” he adds.
