Travis joined UrbanCincy in 2009 as a contributor, and quickly took over technical responsibilities for the site. After growing up in Cincinnati’s east side in Goshen, Travis earned an Electronic Media degree from the University of Cincinnati in 2009. Since then, Travis has been working throughout the United States as a web development consultant. After living in Clifton Heights, Northside, and Over-the-Rhine, Travis now resides in Cincinnati’s Central Business District.
UrbanCincy readers may know that the 84.51° Center (formerly Dunnhumby Centre) in Downtown Cincinnati includes an above-ground parking garage that can be converted into office space at a later date. The building was designed this way because of anticipated future growth of the building’s namesake tenant.
An increasing number of parking garages across the country are now being designed in this way. That’s partially because developers are starting to understand that our urban real estate is better used for office space, residential, and retail as opposed to car storage. Developers also predict that the demand for urban parking garages will decline as self-driving cars start to appear in the coming decades — why park your car in an expensive garage downtown when you can send it back home after it drops you off at work?
“It’s smart use of resources and space is a resource,” Cohen said. “If you’re designing a building and there’s space that potentially could become obsolete over time, that’s just a wasted opportunity.”
Building parking that has future life as something else requires particular thought to the garage’s floor-to-ceiling heights and slope of the floors, Fisher said.
“The typical sloped-ramp parking garage has about a 5 percent slope,” Fisher said. “You can’t work in that space.”
Instead, the floor plates need to be flat, with discrete ramps between the levels, Petersen said. At WTC Denver, the ramps are being designed so they can be removed someday, leaving a light-filled courtyard.
“It doesn’t take much more initial investment or cost,” he said. “It’s more just thinking creatively.”
All five streetcars were in service and full of riders all weekend.
The much-awaited Cincinnati Bell Connector opened to the public on Friday, September 9, and gave over 50,000 rides during its grand opening three-day weekend.
Councilwoman Amy Murray, who serves as Chair of the Major Transportation and Regional Cooperation Committee, hosted the grand opening ceremony at Washington Park. In addition to Murray, there were 12 speakers including current and former politicians, transit officials, and business leaders. Many of the speakers thanked the streetcar supporters who kept the project going over the years as it faced obstacle after obstacle. Several used the opportunity to call for an expansion of the system, with former mayor Mark Mallory saying that it’s not a question of “if,” but “when” and “where” the streetcar goes next.
Four streetcars wait on Elm Street to pick up passengers for the start of service.
“Mr. Streetcar” John Schneider speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Mayor John Cranley signs the ceremonial shovel that John Schneider used at the groundbreaking of the system.
Cincinnati’s Mayor John Cranley, accompanied by First Lady Dena, speaks at the grand opening.
Former Mayor Mark Mallory speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Former Mayor Roxanne Qualls speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Carolyn Flowers, Acting Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration, speaks.
SORTA board chair Jason Dunn speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Ted Torbeck, CEO of Cincinnati Bell, speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Eric Avner, VP of the Haile Foundation, speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Vice Mayor David Mann speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
City Council President Pro Tem Yvette Simpson speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
City Council Member Chris Seelbach speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
City Council Member PG Sittenfeld speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
City Council Member Wendell Young speaks at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Cincinnati Reds mascots appear at the opening of the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Randomly selected crowed members “powered on” the streetcar system in lue of a traditional ribbon cutting.
Members of the NKY Streetcar committee wear shirts reading, “Next Stop, Northern Kentucky!”
“Mr. Cincinnati” Jim Tarbell takes one of the inaugural rides on the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
UrbanCincy’s Randy Simes takes one of the inaugural rides on the Cincinnati Bell Connector.
Ken Prendergast, Executive Director of rail advocacy group All Aboard Ohio, rides the streetcar.
Streetcar riders livestreamed the ride using Facebook Live and other social media networks.
At first, streetcars had enough room to sit, but quickly became standing room only.
All five streetcars were in service and full of riders all weekend.
All five streetcars were in service and full of riders all weekend.
All five streetcars were in service and full of riders all weekend.
All five streetcars were in service and full of riders all weekend.
All five streetcars were in service and full of riders all weekend.
All five streetcars were in service and full of riders all weekend.
All five streetcars were in service and full of riders all weekend.
Passengers wait to board the Cincinnati Bell Connector at the Findlay Market Elm Street station.
Passengers wait to board the Cincinnati Bell Connector at the Findlay Market Race Street station.
Route maps feature Red Bike stations in addition to the streetcar route.
A new Red Bike station has been added right next to the Brewery District streetcar stop.
Rhinegeist Brewery opened at noon on Friday to welcome riders and give out limited edition streetcar pint glasses.
The Brewery District station in front of Rhinegeist Brewery was very popular all weekend.
Transit advocates from Poznań, Poland came to witness the opening of Cincinnati’s modern streetcar system.
A group of Kansas City Streetcar advocates and leaders visit Cincinnati for the opening of their sister system.
August’s Second Sunday on Main was the first to be served by the Connector.
Wash Park Art decorated their storefront with green balloons reminiscent of the Believe in Cincinnati campaign.
Many businesses along the route displayed pro-streetcar messages.
After the first five ceremonial rides, the Connector opened to the public around noon. It was free to ride all weekend thanks to donations from Believe in Cincinnati, streetcar manufacturer CAF, Cincinnati Bell, Fred Craig, the Haile Foundation, and Joseph Automotive Group. Each station was staffed with volunteers who helped inform riders about the how the system works, where it goes, and how to pay your fare after the start of revenue service. Additionally, a number of special events and activities took place place near each of the streetcar stations, ranging from DJs to ballet dancers to sidewalk chalk artists. Many businesses along the route offered special streetcar-themed food, drinks, and merchandise.
The system initially opened with four out of the five streetcars in service, but the fifth was put into service around 4 p.m. on Friday and all five continued to operate for the remainder of the weekend. The system operated at nearly maximum capacity all weekend, with lines of people waiting to board at each station.
Unfortunately, the system was forced to close on Saturday afternoon due to a bomb threat. The threat, which appears to be connected to similar threats made over the weekend at the Cincinnati Zoo and two local high school football games, was not believed to be credible, but the system was closed down as a precautionary measure. After a bomb-sniffing dog searched all five streetcars and found nothing, they were put back in to service.
Despite this setback, the system transported passengers on 18,141 trips on Friday, 17,160 on Saturday, and 15,345 on Sunday, for a grand total of 50,646 trips during the grand opening.
After the free weekend, revenue service began Monday morning on the Cincinnati Bell Connector. The fare is $1 for a two-hour pass, or $2 for an all-day pass. No streetcar-specific monthly pass is available, but a monthly Metro pass includes rides on the streetcar as well as Metro buses. Tickets can be purchased at kiosks at each station, or using the Cincy EZRide app which is now available in the iOS App Store and Google Play.
The Central Parkway YMCA renovation is one of many major developments taking place on the western side of Washington Park.
Following a year-and-a-half renovation process, the historic Central Parkway YMCA reopened last month, and leaders at Episcopal Retirement Homes, the company overseeing the residential portion of the project, have recently welcomed the project’s first residents.
The $30 million project overhauled the entire 123,000-square-foot structure and was undertaken by Model Group. The upgraded YMCA includes a new saline lap pool, all new equipment, and expanded class offerings. Officials hope the renovated club attracts 1,600 members by the end of the year and eventually reaches 2,000 members.
The building’s upper six floors include 65 residences for seniors, providing much-needed affordable housing in the heart of the center city. A similar partnership has been tried before with the Parkview Place project in Anderson, Indiana, which also consists of affordable senior apartments located above an historic YMCA.
Nearby, scores of multi-million dollar development projects are underway that will add dozens of hotel rooms, hundreds of residents, and tens of thousands of square feet of commercial office and retail space. Such changes are expected to both raise rents and further increase the desirability of Over-the-Rhine, Downtown and the nearby West End neighborhood.
Basketball Court
View of The Transept
Basketball Court Windows
Pool
Men’s Locker Room
Cardio Equipment
Cardio Equipment
Stationary Bikes
The Central Parkway YMCA renovation is one of many major developments taking place on the western side of Washington Park.
The new Cincy Stories Story Gallery is located in the Trevarren Flats development in Walnut Hills, in a retail space provided by the Walnut Hills Redevelopment Foundation. In the space, visitors will be able to watch videos of previous storytellers and even step into the “story booth” and record one of their own. Although the space opened last week, an official opening party is being held this Friday from 6-10 p.m. Food and refreshments from Fireside Pizza and Woodburn Brewery will be provided.
Cincy Stories’ main event also will return to MOTR Pub this evening. Starting at 7 p.m., visitors will hear stories from Nina Wells, Brandon Black, Megan Trischler, Joi M. Sears, Kathy Holwadel, and Reginald Harris, as well as music from Asylum.
Max Grinnell is an author, historian, and professor who enjoys sharing unique perspectives of American cities. Last summer, he visited Cincinnati to host a series of walking tours that offered a historical look at the city’s urban core. This June, Grinnell is bringing back the tour, which compares the Cincinnati of 1943 to the city today.
The walking tour is inspired by Cincinnati: A Guide to the Queen City and Its Neighbors, a book published in 1943 for the Federal Writers’ Project. This book was a part of the American Guide Series, also known as the WPA guides, which was a program funded by the New Deal to employ writers during the Great Depression. Today, the book serves as a snapshot of 1943 Cincinnati, when the city’s population was 455,610 and now-iconic structures like Carew Tower and Union Terminal were just a decade old.
“I consider it one of the better city guides produced by the Federal Writers’ Project, and that’s significant, considering other volumes considered New Orleans, Philadelphia, and others,” Grinnell told UrbanCincy.
The 60-minute tour will be similar to the ones Grinnell hosted last year, but also include some new elements, such a focus on the Netherland Plaza Hotel and its intricate details.
The walking tour is inspired by