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Business Development News

Cincinnati wins economic development award for $24M Corryville Crossings project

The City of Cincinnati has received an Excellence in Economic Development Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) for a $24 million mixed-use development uptown. The award specifically recognized the City for its public-private partnership on the project.

“We recognize the City of Cincinnati for providing successful strategies to promote new paradigms in economic development in this period of global recovery,” said William Best, IEDC chair. “Cincinnati is showing that they are at the forefront of the economic development profession and are using innovative and effective practices that can be replicated in other communities.”

Officials learned of the IEDC award on Tuesday at the council’s annual conference being held in Columbus, OH. IEDC officials say that the awards program is geared to, “recognize the world’s best economic development programs and partnerships, marketing materials, and the year’s most influential leaders.”

The Corryville Crossings development has been under construction for more than a year. Once completed the development is expected to create 200 permanent jobs, include a 132-room hotel, retail space, a 219-space public parking garage, and spark additional investment in the Short Vine business district.

The City has partnered with the Uptown Consortium and local developers to help move the project from the drawing boards to reality. Project officials also say that creative financing tools like Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and New Market Tax Credits were necessary to advance the development.

A Starbucks coffee shop and IHOP restaurant were originally planned for the retail portions of the development before changes in the market that drove both national chains away from the project.  The new Hampton Inn and public parking garage portions of the development are expected to be completed later this fall.

Categories
News Transportation

City Looking for Feedback on Potential Bicycling Fixes for Riverside Drive

The City of Cincinnati is examining how to improve bicycle conditions along Riverside Drive through the East End neighborhood. Data shows that the corridor is popular for both recreational and commuter bicyclists, but that the heavy traffic along the roadway makes it unsafe or uncomfortable for many potential riders.

“We’re continuously looking for ways to improve the quality of life for residents, and enhance neighborhoods in ways that are more in line with our community’s interests in walkable, bike-friendly and sustainable neighborhoods,” said Matthew Andrews, Acting Principal Architect with Cincinnati’s Department of Transportation & Engineering. “But due to the complexities of this corridor, we are really interested to see what kind of feedback we can get from the public.”


Such complexities include that approximately 10 percent of all traffic along U.S. 52 is dangerous truck traffic thanks to a national truck corridor designation. DOTE officials also say that recent studies show that while the posted speed limit is 35mph, the average vehicle is zipping through the area at 46mph.

But while some solutions seem obvious – separated bike lanes, traffic calming features – the larger picture is making things more difficult. The ongoing Ohio River Trail will eventually create a separated bicycle path that will accommodate both recreational and commuter bicyclists, but officials do not know when that might be or how it is executed. As a result, the City is looking at potential fixes now and is hoping the public can help come up with a solution.

The City is currently soliciting feedback on five potential solutions that include everything from dedicated bike lanes, a separate path, cycle tracks, and a combination thereof. Those interested in providing feedback on the potential solutions are encouraged to do so by Thursday, September 30 so that officials can narrow down the list of concepts and do further analysis in early October.

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Development News

Mt. Washington unveils new gateway monument, celebrates city’s first NBD recycling program

Mt. Washington community leaders will be joined by Cincinnati Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls, representatives from Kroger, and other members of City Council to unveil a new gateway monument at the north end of the neighborhood’s business district.

City leaders say that the monument will also serve as a gateway to, and extension of, the city-owned Stanbery Park.

“The monument will serve as a welcoming feature not only for the business district, but for the park as well,” says Ed Ratterman, Senior Development Officer, City of Cincinnati. “Stanbery Park is a major asset for Mt. Washington and we hope that this will help attract a few more people there.”

The $95,000 monument is being unveiled in combination with approximately $24,000 in streetscaping enhancements throughout the business district that include new benches and 33 planters along Beechmont Avenue. The enhancements also include 10 new recycling receptacles that will serve as the foundation for the first public recycling program in one of Cincinnati’s neighborhood business districts.

“This was something that was very important to the Mt. Washington Business Association, and they wanted to include the recycling receptacles in this project,” Ratterman explained.

What makes the new recycling receptacles even more unique is their design which was created by local artist Edward Casagrande who also designed the new gateway monument for the business district. City officials say that the Office of Environment Quality has assumed the costs for Rumpke pick-up at these recycling receptacles for the first year.

According to Ratterman, the two projects were largely paid for by Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United (CNBDU) which provides approximately $2 million annually for improvements throughout the city’s neighborhood business districts. An additional $7,000 was contributed by Keep Cincinnati Beautiful, while the Cincinnati Park Board helped to oversee the design components of the gateway project.

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Business News

One of world’s most beautiful campuses welcomes UC’s largest student enrollment ever

The University of Cincinnati is welcoming more than new and returning 41,000 students for the 2010-2011 school – its highest enrollment ever – today. Many of those tens of thousands of students will get to enjoy one of the world’s most beautiful campuses, and one of the nation’s most unique urban universities.

UC’s largely car-free campus has virtually no surface parking lots, and in turn boasts award-winning green spaces, architecture, and recreational facilities. It is a campus unlike hardly any other. Buildings twist and turn, almost fighting for space on campus.

One such example is Nippert Stadium where the scoreboard is situated atop the Campus Recreation Center, the Lindner Athletic Center basically cantilevers over the northeast corner of the stadium, a CCM structure forms the southern end to the concourse area, and Tangeman University Center rubs elbows with the stadium’s press boxes.

UC’s internationally acclaimed campus is most known for its blend of historic architecture and stunning new architectural prize pieces. Works by Henry Cobb, Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, George Hargreaves, Thom Mayne, Bernard Tschumi, Buzz Yudell, and more regularly impress crowded tour groups of prospective students and architecture buffs alike.

As a UC alumnus I am proud of my university, and am happy to welcome students back to the university’s Uptown campuses and those throughout the region. Go Bearcats!

Categories
Development News Transportation

Streetscaping improvements along W. McMillan Street near completion

Significant progress has been made on the first-phase of streetscaping improvements throughout the Clifton Heights business district. Over the past two months work has been taking place along W. McMillan Street to rebuild sidewalks, crosswalks, curbs, and more. The projected $440,000 project will also include new street lamps, parking meters, trash cans, and street trees.

This stretch of W. McMillan Street had long been plagued by buckled sidewalks due to root invasion from the street trees there and water that subsequently collected. The rebuilt sidewalks not only feature safe and pleasant surfaces for pedestrians, but they also feature uniquely designed brick work at cross walk locations.

The improvement work has been championed by the Clifton Heights Urban Redevelopment Corporation (CHCURC) whose director, Matt Bourgeois, said that “the business community is very excited about the progress being made.”

Some of that progress has been quite noticeable including several facade improvement projects; business expansions and renovations by DuBois Bookstore, Plaza Artist Supplies, and Mac’s Pizza Pub; and the addition of several new businesses to the district.

The first phase of streetscaping improvements, nearing their expected completion in October 2010, were funded through the Cincinnati Neighborhood Business Districts United (CNBDU) and the City of Cincinnati. The later two phases will continue the streetscaping work throughout the district over the next two years depending on funding.