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Neighborhood Enhancement Program showing signs of staying power, Perkins Lounge to be shuttered

Cincinnati’s nationally-acclaimed Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) is having a lasting impact in Evanston where the program started two years. Today Cincinnati officials announced that Perkins Lounge, long known for a history of drug activity and for being an eyesore in the heart of Evanston, will be shut down as ordered by Judge Nadine Allen utilizing State of Ohio Nuisance Abatement Laws to investigate numerous complaints of illegal activity.

On September 2, 2008, Cincinnati’s NEP began a 90-day focus on Evanston that focused on quality of life issues including crime, blight and building code violations. Since that time the program has won awards from Neighborhoods USA as the 2008 National Program of the Year, the Ohio Conference of Community Development’s President Award, and the Community Development Corporations Association of Greater Cincinnati award for Most Outstanding Collaborative Effort among others.

Image of Perkins Lounge from Google Maps' Street View

Program officials say that one of the targets is to create a sustainable impact that lasts beyond the initial 90-day blitz. Perkins Lounge will officially be shut down this evening at 6pm thanks to a collaborative effort between the Cincinnati Police Department, the Attorney General’s office and the Evanston community. The closure brings with it much more than the elimination of a long-time neighborhood problem, but also an indication that the much touted NEP has staying power.

“This ongoing partnership with the State of Ohio’s Attorney General’s office and these successful results are a prime example of the sustainability of the NEP,” City Manager Milton Dohoney said in a press release. “This model for neighborhood revitalization continues to be an effective tool to improve the quality of life for our neighborhoods and businesses.”

Community leaders are encouraged by the Perkins Lounge (map) news and believe it is an important step in the process of reclaiming their neighborhood.

“The Evanston community is thrilled that this shameless criminal element has finally been removed from the Evanston Business District, and greatly admires the tireless efforts of the Cincinnati Police,” stated John Lewis, Safety Chair of the Evanston Community Council and Chair of the Evanston Citizens on Patrol. “Evanston continues to focus our efforts to redevelop and revitalize our business district to be a once again thriving neighborhood.”

Most recently the NEP rolled into Mt. Washington, and over the course of its existence, the program has visited Price Hill, Avondale, Westwood, College Hill and Clifton Heights/University Heights/Fairview Heights (CUF) in addition to both Mt. Washington and Evanston. In each case the program has reduced blight on average by 15% and recorded thousands of building inspections.

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Development News Politics Transportation

Cincinnati transit agency votes to operate modern streetcar system

The Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) board of trustees voted today to authorize the transit authority to serve as a partner in developing an operating plan for the Cincinnati Streetcar system. The plan is to eventually have SORTA serve as the operator for the modern streetcar system operating in Cincinnati’s Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and Uptown neighborhoods.

There are still several items to be worked out between SORTA and the City of Cincinnati in addition to formal approval from the City. Once an agreement is reached, the two organizations will work together to develop a comprehensive engagement program. There is the opportunity for the City to select a different operator for the system should an agreement not be reached.

Last week the Cincinnati Streetcar secured $86.5 million of the total $128 million needed to make the initial part of the Cincinnati Streetcar system reality. So far the State of Ohio has contributed $15 million, OKI Regional Council of Governments has allocated $4 million of CMAQ federal funds, the City of Cincinnati has approved $64 million in bonds, and another $3.5 million came via contributions from Duke Energy.

“With more than two-thirds of the funding for the streetcar system in place, we are in a good position to further develop the operating plan for the streetcar system’s long-term sustainability,” said City Manager Milton Dohoney, Jr in a press release. “We are glad to pull on SORTA’s transportation expertise and resources to make that happen as quickly as possible.”

SORTA officials tout several advantages to an expanded transit operation partnership between the City and the transit organization that runs the Metro bus system including coordinated planning efforts between bus and streetcar operations that will maximize efficiencies and reduce costs. SORTA officials also state that Metro’s proposed Uptown transit center near the University of Cincinnati can be developed to operate as a connection poitn for the Cincinnati Streetcar, Metro bus service and the various Uptown shuttle services.

“The streetcar is a city economic development tool of regional importance, but it’s also a transportation mode that must be integrated with current transit service and operated efficiently and effectively,” said Melody Sawyer Richardson, chair of the SORTA board. “SORTA will bring extensive transit expertise and understanding to the project, as we work with the city and the community to develop the best possible streetcar operating plan. The City Manager has assured SORTA that his recommendations for funding will not include taking City earnings tax revenue that SORTA receives to operate Metro and Access.”

SORTA is also designated as the region’s federal transit funding recipient. This relationship could allow the agency to leverage federal grant dollars for the Cincinnati Streetcar project and even serve as a conduit for those funds.

In March, SORTA’s newest, and youngest-ever, board member spoke to the potential benefits of larger, more comprehensive transportation system overseen by one transit authority.

“Our area is overdue for new transportation alternatives, and I plan to work very hard to help create solutions to transportation issues that fit realistically within the available resource base,” said J. Thomas Hodges. “A comprehensive multi-modal transportation system is vital for the health and success of our City and region.”

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Development News Politics Transportation

Cincinnati commits $64M to build modern streetcar system

City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee voted yesterday 6-2 to approve $64 million in bonds that will fund Cincinnati’s modern streetcar system.  The move comes on the heels of a $2.6 million bond approval and now sends a clear message to the Federal government that Cincinnati is committed to this project financially.

The local commitment covers about half of the total $128 million streetcar system that will run from Cincinnati’s riverfront, through Downtown and Over-the-Rhine, and up the hill into the Uptown neighborhoods.  The Cincinnati Streetcar was also recently recommended for $15 million in State funds.

The Finance & Budget Committee meeting held yesterday attracted fewer people and public comments, but the breakdown was much the same.  Of the 10 people to speak, only one person, COAST’s lawyer, spoke against the project.  The other public comments were made by residents all over the city, business owners and students.  Over the course of the past two meetings that brings the public comment tally to 38 in favor, 4 opposed.

The City of Cincinnati will now wait to hear back from the Feds next month about another $25 million for the transportation project.  The Federal funding is considered to be critical for the project, but has been out-of-reach due to the lack of a local financial commitment to the project.  Streetcar supporters say that with this approval Cincinnati stands a much greater chance at receiving Federal funds that passed over Cincinnati during the first round of TIGER grants.

Roxanne Qualls, Laure Quinlinvan, Chris Bortz, Jeff Berding, Cecil Thomas and Laketa Cole voted in favor of approving the bonds for the Cincinnati Streetcar while Chris Monzel and Charlie Winburn voted in opposition.  Leslie Ghiz was absent.  The full City Council, which is made up of the same body, will vote on the measure this Wednesday, May 12 and is expected to pass with a 6-3 majority after Ghiz casts her opposition vote.

You can stay up-to-date on the Cincinnati Streetcar project by reading its blog, or by following the City’s official webpage where you can also make contributions online to help make the project become reality.  Follow @CincyStreetcar on Twitter for even more information.

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News Transportation

Cincinnati hosts EACC high-speed rail conference

The 2010 Urban and Regional Public Transportation Conference, held May 5 at The Westin Hotel and sponsored by the European-American Chamber of Commerce, featured presentations by over a dozen industry experts including a keynote speech by John D. Porcari, Deputy Secretary of Transportation of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“America’s rail infrastructure is in shambles”, said Porcari, whose department is shifting policy away from a decades-old process that considered road or rail projects individually but could not easily approve multi-modal projects.

In working to rebuild “the squandered investments of our grandparents”, Porcari described a profound turnaround in federal transportation policy from one that encouraged sprawl to one that will promote walkable smart growth. He promised that America’s new generation of passenger trains will not be assembled here from components manufactured overseas, but rather be “100% American” in order to “capture every piece of the high speed rail value chain”.

Although the announced policy changes portend an increased opportunity for federal assistance for local rail transit projects, Porcari stressed that in the short term those places with their “act together” will be first to benefit from these changes.

Speaking on the matter of the $400 3C’s grant, Matt Dietrich, Executive Director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, remarked that early in the planning of the 3C’s line, Amtrak offered to sell Ohio a variety of retired and surplus locomotives and passenger cars for $10-$15 million. But after grants were awarded to projects in other regions, that equipment has been directed elsewhere, and Ohio has now budgeted $175 million – almost half of the 3C’s grant – for new passenger trains.

The constricted budget means grant funds are presently unavailable for construction of a track connection to Cincinnati Union Terminal. A permanent suburban station is planned for Sharonville and a temporary terminal station is planned for Cincinnati in Bond Hill.

Cleveland’s station will be located on that city’s lakefront, with a convenient connection to its Waterfront light rail line. Both Dayton and Columbus will have stations located in their respective downtowns.

Dietrich also discussed plans for a station at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, possibly within walking distance of the National Museum of the United States Air Force. The base is the state’s largest single-site employer and the museum is, aside from King’s Island and Cedar Point, the state’s most popular tourist attraction.

The conference also featured speakers from France, Spain, Germany, and England, each of whom discussed not only the technical aspects of their high speed trains, but also how their networks are funded and administered.

Tom Stables, Senior Vice President of Commercial Development for First Group, discussed how England awards franchises to approximately a dozen different companies who for periods of seven to ten years operate the county’s various commuter and intercity train lines.

Juergen Wilder, representing industry giant Siemens, described how a ticketing and revenue sharing agreement was achieved with Lufthansa after a high speed rail line extended to Frankfurt’s airport drew significant patronage away from the airline. In the face of competition from passenger rail, Wilder suggested that American carriers might seek similar arrangements or even bid to operate the country’s envisioned high speed rail lines.

Herve Le Caignec, representing SNCF, the company that operates the French TGV network, discussed attempts at private-public partnerships in the construction of new TGV lines. He also offered evidence of the TGV’s staggering success – every day trains seating 750 to 1,100 passengers leave the French capital bound for Lyon and Marseilles every five minutes and do not just sell out individually, but all trains – more than 300 of them — often sell out each weekend as Parisians escape their drizzle and migrate en masse to the Mediterranean coast.

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News Politics Transportation

Cincinnati City Council approves critical funding for streetcar project

Cincinnati City Council gathered today to vote on allocating $2.6 million for the Cincinnati Streetcar project that will allow the project to move forward and signal a local financial commitment to the Federal government in the next round of TIGER grants.

An initial motion by Councilman Monzel opposed to the Cincinnati Streetcar was soundly defeated five to two with Winburn abstaining from the vote. Following that motion 31 members of the public spoke on the matter of allocating the $2.6 million.

The group consisted of students, young professionals, business and property owners, and those interested in seeing a better city. Out of the 31 speakers only two spoke against the project – one of which being Tom Luken. The message was clear to Cincinnati’s City Council: If you want the support of the next generation of Cincinnatians, you need to support improved public transportation.

Business owners also spoke overwhelmingly in favor of the project touting its economic benefits with Bob Pickford, President and CEO of Findlay Market, going as far to say that, “The single-most important investment this city can make to keep Findlay Market viable long-term is the streetcar.”

A student from the University of Cincinnati’s world renowned college of Design, Architecture, Art & Planning then went on to urge City Council to prove his classmates wrong by investing in the streetcar and showing them that they can stay in Cincinnati after graduation and be welcomed by a progressive, forward-thinking city.

After the long public comment session Cincinnati’s City Council discussed the matter amongst themselves. Councilman Berding went on in his comments and quoted creative economy expert Richard Florida’s recent book that discussed the need for vibrant city centers in a new economy. Berding also mentioned Jane Jacobs’ progressive vision for American cities as places that are vibrant and foster creativity.

Councilman Bortz then brought the discussion back home and stated how an affirmative vote to allocate these funds will go a long way towards closing the financial gap and securing the necessary Federal funding for the project. Meanwhile Monzel sounded off on Teaparty talking points about “feeding the beast” when it comes to getting Federal grant money.

When all was said and done, Cincinnati’s City Council voted 6-2 to allocate $2.6 million to the Cincinnati Streetcar project with only Leslie Ghiz and Chris Monzel voting no (Winburn abstained). While initially small, this commitment will go a long way in terms of the total $63 million local commitment as Cincinnati sends its application to the Federal government for the next round of TIGER funds.

Interestingly enough, both Ghiz and Monzel have their sights on the vacant Hamilton County Commissioner seat and have since shifted further to the right to appeal to a broader, more conservative county population. Ghiz has made the greatest shift after having authoritatively saying that she had always supported the project – that is until now that she has the suburbs in mind as she is voting on city issues.

Downtown resident John Schneider has seen all of Cincinnati’s public transportation discussions as the chairman of the Alliance for Regional Transit, and summed it up near the end of the public comment session when he said, “This is a day that will go down in the history books.” Speculation is not typically my thing, but I believe this will be the day that we look back and realize when Cincinnati stepped up to the challenge of redefining itself for a 21st Century economy.

Follow along with the live Twitter discussion from earlier today here.