Category: Development

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Development News Transportation

UC students working to solve Cincinnati’s urban issues

When it comes to finding solutions to fix the problems our city faces, we can’t overlook the talented minds found at the universities and colleges right here in our city. And for urban design issues, many of these minds can be found at the University of Cincinnati in the fields of urban planning, engineering, architecture and political science.

68 students in these fields have been working on solutions to problems in Downtown, Uptown, Northside, Camp Washington, and other Cincinnati neighborhoods recently, and many will be presenting their findings today at the Turner Building (2728 Short Vine, Corryville) from 1pm to 5pm.

One group focused on improving the interchange between I-71 and Taft/McMillan Streets in Uptown. Their plan adds a giant roundabout connecting Taft & McMillan and adding access to southbound I-71. Their plan also calls for converting McMillan Street through Walnut Hills from a one-way street to two-way.

“The chief part of our business district (located on McMillan Avenue between I-71/Gilbert Avenue and Victory Parkway) was harmed when the city designated McMillan and William Howard Taft as one-way streets years ago,” said Kathy Atkinson, president of the Walnut Hill Area Council. “People speed right through our business district. It’s no longer a destination due to traffic patterns. Top on our list is to have that changed.”

As bold as the students’ plan may sound, there are other, even bolder options for improving the urban landscape of Uptown. Several neighborhoods have been pushing for a completely new interchange to the north at Martin Luther King Drive. This would allow for improved access on the already auto-oriented MLK Drive, while taking much of the traffic demand off of Taft and McMillan streets. Both streets could then be converted to two-way for their entire lengths, making them more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.

Eventually, a streetcar loop could be added to the Taft/McMillian pair, connecting the Clifton Heights and Walnut Hills business districts together while also connecting those areas with the proposed north-south Cincinnati Streetcar line at Vine Street. New businesses and residents would be attracted to this energetic, accessible, multi-modal corridor.

Other students’ plans focused on Broadway Commons, the future site of Cincinnati’s casino; an area in Northside and South Cumminsville that will be affected by the Mill Creek Expressway I-75 construction project; and many other sites throughout the city. Learn more about the students’ plans by visiting the presentation tonight, or read more about the plans online.

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Business Development News

Skirtz & Johnston to bring old world bakery to Cincinnati

Stefan Skirtz and Andrew Johnston met at the nationally acclaimed Midwest Culinary Institute (MCI) just a few years ago and have maintained their relationship since then. Andrew started at MCI right out of high school while Stefan transitioned into pastries after working professionally for many years elsewhere.

“We were the only two guys in a program with 30 to 40 other women,” explained Andrew who went on to say that the pair wanted to bring a “masculine touch” to the pastry/bakery business and food world with Skirtz & Johnston Fine Pastries and Chocolates. Something else the two wanted to bring to Cincinnati was an old world bakery that focuses on fresh products made daily with local ingredients by expert pastry chefs and bakers.

“We’re really old school in the way we work, and the bakeries in town that operate in that fashion are at capacity,” said Stefan. “We found a great location and love Findlay Market, the people, and the other vendors.”

The new shop at historic Findlay Market will offer pastries, chocolates, bread, high-end cakes, sandwiches and other items all made fresh and from scratch in the old world fashion the two pastery chefs live by. The co-owners also see the new shop as a perfect fit for Findlay Market which has been in need of additional freshly baked bread.

Once open on the south side of the Market House, Skirtz & Johnston Fine Pastries and Chocolates will have two parts to their shop. The western part of the double store front will serve as the pastry shop where all the bakery operations will occur, while the eastern portion will initially serve as a bistro and gallery space for community gatherings until the owners are able to expand operations and create a confection and cake shop there.

“The possibility for future expansion made the space really desirable,” said Andrew. “But for the mean time the eastern portion will work well for meeting and lunch opportunities during the week and events during non-typical shop hours.”

The MCI pastry chef duo also plan on staying true to their pastry roots by working closely with pastry co-op students from the MCI program.

The future Skirtz & Johnston bakery sits quietly next to Kause’s on the south side of the Markethouse on a closed Monday afternoon at Findlay Market – photography by Jeremy Mosher.

“We wanted to create an opportunity to further our craft and future employment opportunities for Midwest Culinary Institute students where they can work with bread, cakes and everything else we do,” Andrew explained. “Some of our main goals include education and advocacy in addition to furthering our craft.”

As a result when you come in to the bakery Stefan says that you can expect to see bakers and pastry chefs at work in a “flour on the floor” style bakeshop, and that when you walk in you will see all the way to the back of the shop where the mixers are.

“We want people to see the craft taking place and we want to engage our customers,” said Andrew who also detailed the shops local approach by purchasing everything from local suppliers including a partnership with fellow Findlay Market vendor Churchill’s.

Andrew and Stefan are looking to be open in some fashion in time for the Opening Day Parade on April 5th with a grand opening sometime after that. Once open full-time, the shop will open at 8 or 9am on weekdays, 6am on weekends, and stay open throughout the day offering lunch in addition to their bake goods.

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Business Development News

Senate opens today in the Over-the-Rhine

Many Cincinnatians can now begin to understand the long journey that most candidates go through to get to Senate. The hotly anticipated new gastropub opens in the Gateway Quarter today and by all accounts it should live up to the high expectations that the Cincinnati community has set for it.

UrbanCincy was invited to a preview event earlier this week and while the food and drinks were only samples of what Senate promises to offer going forward, the glimpse we got at the atmosphere made the trip very worthwhile. With simple lines and candle light, the sense one gets when walking in the door is both comforting and sophisticated at the same time. All in all, the room is relatively small but very warm and welcoming, as are the large windows along Vine Street that will be opened in warmer months.

Senate joins Lavomatic in the ever-changing and growing Gateway Quarter district of the historic Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. Be sure to go down and check out what Senate has to offer this weekend…maybe even drop by on your way to the Shepard Fairey opening night party at the CAC.

Senate Menu photograph by Julie Niesen.

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Development News

Tour of The Banks – February 2010

Earlier this month just a few hours before a February snow blanketed the Cincinnati area, UrbanCincy was invited on a hard hat tour of The Banks construction site. The event was hosted by Messer Construction as a way to get show off some of the recent progress made along the Ohio River. News was recently made about vertical construction starting above ground, but Messer has been diligently plugging away at the “dirty” work of the project for quite some time now.

As we went through the safety briefing, we were told that the project now stands at over 160,000 hours worked without a lost time accident which was clearly something of which the group was very proud. They have very strict controls in place to help ensure that all the workers are safe and able to put forth their fullest effort, and made sure we followed all their rules as we entered the work site.

After the briefing it was time for a tour, and while our photos from the trip will likely better show you the story of what we saw, the best way to describe this project is BIG. While that is probably evident if you drive by the site, it took on a whole new meaning as we walked around inside the garage.

Once everything is complete, there will be seven acres of parking and you will be able to go in at Paul Brown Stadium and emerge at Great American Ballpark. The best part of course is that these garages will be topped off with development and green space which give it a great multi-use functionality. For perspective, a similar (and much grander) project would be Boston’s “Big Dig.”

The other part of the story that became a bit clearer upon our visit was the difference between The Banks and Central Riverfront Park. While they share much of the same infrastructure, project manager Dave Prather was able to help draw a picture about what the park will offer. If you go past the site these days you will be able to see where the garage stops and everything south of that will be the park, while everything north is considered part of The Banks. According to Mr. Prather, Phase I remains on track with an expected opening in April of 2011 which includes the Moerlein Lager House.

Enjoy the pictures, some of which were taken by Jake Mecklenborg. Messer seemed interested in making these hard hat tours a regular event, so stay with UrbanCincy for more developments as progress on The Banks continue.

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Development News Politics Transportation

Where would they all park?

Metro, the non-profit that operates Cincinnati’s bus system, is facing a budget deficit of $16 million in 2010. To preempt this crisis, officials in December elected to reduce service on virtually every route, and eliminate some routes entirely (new schedules). Many Cincinnatians values Metro’s presence because it is a critical service for residents and visitors alike, but some remain hard to convince.

Metro’s important role in Cincinnati goes beyond the obvious. For example, there simply is not enough parking downtown to eliminate bus service. If Cincinnati were to eliminate Metro entirely, the city would need 127 acres of additional parking.

According to Carter Dawson, the group that is managing The Banks development on the riverfront, 85,000 people work in downtown Cincinnati, and according to Metro, 20 percent of them commute using the bus. Therefore, 17,000 people ride to bus downtown to work each day. The amount of space needed for each parking space is estimated at 325 square feet after factoring in space needed for access lanes. As a result, Cincinnati would need to add more than 5.5 million square feet of additional parking space, or about 127 acres.

The land area bounded by 3rd Street, Race Street, Central Parkway, and Sycamore Street is about 130 acres (map created here).

Cincinnati simply cannot afford to throw away 127 acres of prime real estate. Not only does downtown hold some of the region’s most lucrative businesses that would have to go elsewhere, but the tax revenue lost by this displacement would be catastrophic as well. In addition, roadways would need to be expanded to accommodate the increased traffic, stealing even more valuable downtown space. Residents would also be displaced, taking with them the income tax revenue on which the city relies. Cincinnati cannot afford to eliminate Metro. Instead, policymakers ought to be seeking ways to bolster this community asset.