Tag: urban design

Categories
Arts & Entertainment Business Development News Transportation

Clyffside, Streetcars, Moerlein…oh my

Last Friday (4/11) was a great day for Over-the-Rhine, and especially the Brewery District. There was the debut of a new Ohio Historical Marker for the Brewery District…and the Clyffside building kicked off its renovation process with a ‘wall knocking’ by council members Chris Bortz and Roxanne Qualls.

Brewery District people spoke, the two council members, and many others saw this as a chance to voice their support for the Cincinnati Streetcar. At one point the audience was instructed to look out the window and notice where the Northern end of the Streetcar will eventually be (1.5 blocks away or so). Needless to say, people were excited about the historical honor and the announcement of a renovation project that will bring 19 new units to OTR ranging from the low 100’s to the mid-200’s. Oh yeah, and the free Christian Moerlein was great too.

Over-the-Rhine certainly has some serious momentum that it hasn’t had for a long, long time. Speculation is already occuring along the proposed streetcar route and the neighborhood’s rich history is starting to get the recognition it deserves. To that I say cheers, over a Christian Moerlein OTR Ale.

You can view the rest of my photos from the Clyffside ribbon cutting, historical marker, and building tour HERE.

View from The Clyffside units (Randy Simes)

Categories
Development News Politics Transportation

Fight the hypocrisy

The local media outlets have never been shy of notifying the public on how long it has taken to get things going on The Banks, nor have they been hesitant to smear every person/agency related to the project – attributing said delay to them. At the same time the many local naysayers and/or skeptics have been openly critical of politicians, government, non-profits, and even those who support reinvestment in our region’s core. These same people and entities have not hesitated in questioning $25M in City money for a streetcar system in our region’s core.

I do not have a problem with people who wish to keep things in check and/or question authority, but what I do hope is that these same people place the same amount of scrutiny on other things. If we are going to question $25M of public dollars for streetcars, then I surely hope that we question the $2.5B that will be spent on roadway projects this year alone. These roadway projects are not subject to public vote and are simply funded with little public debate or dialog.

Additionally as we all know, The Banks has been 9 years in the making…and the local media has had no qualms with pitting Nky v. Cincinnati in the past, so I hope this same level of scrutiny is passed along to another comparable project in Nky – Newport Ovation.

I applaud local leaders for their dedicated work on The Banks and the Cincinnati Streetcar project. These types of projects are not easily done and often times take many years to accomplish. Keep up the good work.

Photo Credit: Cincinnati Enquirer/Gary Landers

Categories
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 Politics Transportation

A challenge for those who demand better

Are you tired of the same old stall, do-nothing politics? Do you yearn for a day where Cincinnati is a leader and doesn’t wait for something to catch mass appeal before it takes that particular path? Can Cincinnati shed the Mark Twain complex that is seemingly as tied to Cincinnati as Skyline Chili, Pete Rose, or WKRP?

Cincinnati has been working on the development of a streetcar system for the city. The necessary steps have been taken, stakeholders approached and funding outlined. This process started years ago by the quiet and often unnoticed efforts of many individuals. The process has reached a critical point and has the majority support of city council, Mayor Mallory, City Manager Milton Dohoney and scores of residents across this fair city.

It should be noted though that this process has been stagnant now since October 24, 2007. It has been five months since any real action has been made by city council or the finance committee. In terms of inflationary costs alone this inaction has cost taxpayers roughly $2.12 million. John Cranley and Roxanne Qualls have been working very hard to keep this process from moving forward, and they have succeeded now for five months.

I urge you to demand change from our local leaders and let Cranley/Qualls know that you do not stand for the same old stall and do-nothing politics of old. These actions are costing the taxpayers money, city staff time and exhausting the many pro-bono efforts that have been made by local citizens.

If you stand for change let them know and share this message with as many people as possible. Let the politicians know that they aren’t going to grandstand/posture on the taxpayer’s dime. Let them know that the time for politicking is over, and most importantly, let them know that your support hinges upon this.

Roxanne Qualls
801 Plum St. Rm 352
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1979
Phone: (513) 352-3604
Fax: (513) 352-3621
roxanne.qualls@cincinnati-oh.gov

John Cranley
801 Plum St. Rm 356
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1979
Phone: (513) 352-5303
Fax: (513) 352-4657
john.cranley@cincinnati-oh.gov

Categories
News

Finance Committe Vote 3/24/08

Cincinnati City Council is poised to approve City Manager Milton Dohoney’s plan to build the streetcar.

City Council’s Finance Committee will vote at 1:00p on Monday, March 24th to approve the streetcar financing plan in principle and authorize the city administration to meet with private and other governmental partners to secure the remaining funds. If passed on Monday, the motion will be approved by the full City Council at its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 26th at 2:00p.

This process has taken a little longer than expected, but the extra due-diligence has strengthened the plan. The vote next week won’t authorize the sale of bonds or the purchase of streetcars, but it creates the framework in which those things will happen over the next year or so. We’re on track, so to speak, to have the first streetcar operating in 2011. Who knows, maybe we’ll have the first car start running on April 29th, 2011 – that would be 60 years to the day when streetcars stopped running in Cincinnati.

WE NEED AS MANY PEOPLE TO SHOW UP AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Should this pass get ready for some celebration(s) Monday night.

Cincinnati City Hall is located at 801 Plum Street, and Council Chambers are on the Third Floor.

Hope to see you on Monday.