Tag: planning

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Development News Politics Transportation

Streetcar passes FC, poised to pass Council

There was an emergency Finance Committee session held today at 9am to hear the compromise motion put forward from Mayor Mallory. This motion puts forth everything that was presented in the original study (Downtown/OTR Circulator route), but also includes the connector piece to Uptown. Essentially the connector piece is now included with Phase 1 and will be built at the same time…adding an additional $35M to the project cost that must be secured now prior to the start of construction.

There was lengthy discussion and John Cranley belabored the finance portions of the plan. Qualls seemed to ask a few questions just to get the responses ‘on the record’ from City Manager Milton Dohoney and City Architect Michael Moore. Chris Bortz spoke in favor of the project and described this time as, “a time for Cincinnati to be bold.”

Jim Tarbel was the only public speaker and referred to the streetcar project as, “the single most important development project right now and over the past decade.” John Cranley made sure to quickly point out that he “respectfully disagreed” with Mr. Cincinnati and that he wishes the project success.

When all the dust settled the votes came in and it was a unanimous vote (7-0, Laketa Cole was absent). This will now go on to the full Council today at 2pm at City Hall. When it is approved there the project is given a green light and the legislative approval from City Council. The City will then be able to enter into negotiations with private entities to pay for portions of the project. The snowball has begun its proverbial journey down the hill. Be there at 2pm and afterwards there will be celebrations at City Cellars (908 Race Street) around 5:30pm.

Additional reading on UrbanCincy:
Clyffside, Streetcars, Moerlein…oh my
A challenge for those who demand better
Cincinnati is ready to GO
Cincinnati sleepy no more
Streetcars/Transit should be #1 priority for Cincinnati – Reader’s choice

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News

NIMBY Tip of the Month (4.08)

Support the inner-city.

Have you ever wondered why more suburbanites/exurbanites aren’t more supportive of inner-city redevelopment, and urban living as a whole? Many of these people move out to say cornfield Butler/Warren County and then get upset when a bunch of other people do the same thing and ruin their good thing.

At the same time these are the first people you will hear chime in with negativity about the Cincinnati Streetcar, The Banks, or anything else going on in the inner-city. I would expect these types of people to be the biggest advocates for urban living and inner-city reinvestment. I mean after all, the more people that stay in the core the less that ruin their good thing, right?

I guess it all boils down to this. The people who live in cities generally like being around lots of other people (to a certain degree), and those that live out in the exurbs are typically the opposite. So all of you residents of Mason, West Chester, Lebanon, etc need to start being inner-city advocates…it will help to get more people in the city with those of us who want them, and it will keep more people away from your pristine suburban lawn. People helping people.

Image Credit:
Downtown West Chester Scares Me by Lookatme Shirts

Buy the Downtown West Chester Scares Me shirt HERE!

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News

Keep the heart strong

Neighborhoods are what makes cities great, and strong/unique neighborhoods is one of Cincinnati’s greatest attributes. With that said, those neighborhoods stand little to no chance at survival without a strong core…and in Cincinnati’s case that couldn’t be more true.

Cincinnati’s center city is more important to the Cincinnati region more so than most other regions. The reason is pure and simple…a higher percentage of the region’s jobs are in the core, and more so than in most regions (sans Pittsburgh, Boston, and a couple others).

We need to constantly work at maintaining our strong neighborhoods, but we can never lose sight of what enables those neighborhoods to be what they are. Cincinnati’s center city is the economic engine that keeps our neighborhoods great.

It is understandable for neighborhoods to get upset over what they may perceive as special treatment towards the center city in terms of attention and investment, but really when we invest in our core (see streetcars) we are also investing in the rest of our great neighborhoods.

Photo Credit:
Celebration! by Alex Peppers
Part of the Capture Cincinnati collection

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Arts & Entertainment Development News

What a difference 5 years makes


There have been lots of changes to Cincinnati’s landscape over the past 5 years. UC’s world-renowned campus architecture, Daniel Libeskind’s Ascent at Roebling’s Bridge, Julian Stanczak’s art installation, and Zaha Hadid’s ground-breaking Lois & Richard Rosenthal Center for Contemporary Art are just a few. At the same time Mayor Mallory has restored the Planning Department and said, “It is time that we put Cincinnati back on the map as a leader in the area of city planning.”

As a way to celebrate the Contemporary Arts Center’s 5-year anniversary (at their new building) they will be holding a discussion about the many recent changes to Cincinnati’s landscape. The discussion will be primarily focused on planning/architecture commentary, but will also go into sculpture art and other installations. The discussion will be moderated by Michaele Pride (Chair of UC School of Architecture at DAAP) and will consist of the following panel members:

Richard Rosenthal
CAC Trustee, Chair of the Urban Design Review Board, and community volunteer
Jim Fitzgerald
President, CAC Board of Trustees and Founder and Chairman of FRCH Design Worldwide
Jay Chatterjee
Former Dean and current professor of architecture and planning at UC College of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning and CAC Trustee emeritus
Charles C. Graves, III
Director, Department of City Planning, Cincinnati
Ron Kull
GBBN, Fellow of the AIA, former Cincinnati City Architect, and former Architect for the University of Cincinnati

The discussion will be taking place Saturday, April 5th at 2pm. It is open to the public for the regular CAC admission price, and is free to members. Space is limited, so be sure to RSVP as quickly as you can. If you are interested in becoming a member to the CAC be sure to check out their website for membership options.

*Please RSVP with Andrea Blake: 513.345.8434 or ablake@cacmail.org

Categories
News

First Impressions are a Wonderful Thing

The dynamic, eclectic, increasingly safe neighborhood known as the Gateway Quarter is the latest chapter in seemingly unending book of urban revitalization efforts in Cincinnati. The Gateway Quarter is reinventing Over-the Rhine in many ways. The work by Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) continues to bring quality redevelopment efforts to an area town that has seen better days. I had the opportunity, along with some other members of the Cincinnati blogging community, to take a tour of the latest projects that 3CDC is developing.

It is important to note that in previous attempts to revitalize OTR, the incrementalized approach helped incorporate many constituencies in the effort, but in the end, did not create that critical mass of residents, that would sustain growth. The new approach, by 3CDC, is to buy up a large portion of entire blocks, in order to create a more complete developmental pattern. It seems as though 3CDC understands that perception is OTR’s biggest enemy and that in order to change that they would have to condition their developments to create positive energy, and positive perception. They have done a wonderful job so far.

All of the units that we toured, Centennial Row, Duncanson Lofts, Gateway Condos, and Duveneck Flats, were all very unique in their unit layout and design. As we walked through all of the different options it was apparent how distinctive this kind of tour was. They were selling the neighborhood, as much as the actual units. Instead of each developer promoting their property to the buyers, this group was able to come together, and create a cooperative environment that should set an example for other development corporations.

It is hard not to get wrapped up in the vibrant, effervescent reaction that these developments give off. I feel confident that the work will continue, that the momentum is gaining, and that even now, this is a neighborhood that we should be proud of.