City Blights

They eliminated shoulders, doubt they will return anytime soon. Tolling has been tossed around before, hasn't happened. The bypass is too far from downtown. All the conditions of Brent Spence that you just touched on are answers to why it is such a bottleneck, and my answer would be to demolish it and move on with better planning. Even with a new bridge flanking it to the west it still causes design and planning issues in Cincinnati's central region. Brent Spence as we know it has to go.

The past several comments have really proven me wrong...I never thought I would hear so many people so excited to keep an unsafe bridge in operation. The bridge will be replaced, let it be replaced. Why lament over this structure that has cost the city so dearly?

One thing cities/regions can do is present the idea in a manner that makes sense to them, and this is where Cincinnati pro-rail leadership has failed. Not once can I recall Dohoney or anyone with a voice remark about how buses alone have not made this city more dynamic. People can recall the past, so why not zoom in on the idea of change? The past didn't work, let's not pout, just put your best foot forward and move on with the future of Cincinnati - the streetcar. Mallory needed to tell the community all along that the streetcar is our future, not that it may be or it could be. If the measure passes, I'll be wondering if a more poignant message other than the old jobs speech would have preserved sanity in Cincinnati for the next 20 years.

Not accounting for leisure travel is a huge mistake for many commuter lines. The majority of transit patrons as well as trips taken/purchased, bus and fixed rail alike are for leisure and personal affairs. Business travelers will always be there.

Quite a falsehood about why black men get shot.. This is not a falsehood at all. Drug crime is by far the biggest factor in black male deaths, even when it is secondary to gang violence, it's driven by drug economics. What else would you propose kills most black men? For that matter, at least drug-related gun crime is something that has a chance of being reasonably solved by policy changes. "Racism" or "our capitalist, dog-eat-dog society" are far less likely to be easily solved and lead to a reduction in crime and crime-related deaths. Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, countries with restrictive gun laws and extremely high homicide rates. The only thing that solves gun violence is a commitment by a state or a number of states to grant the underclass full rights of a citizen. To be born in a low income area anywhere in the world and be subjected to the weakest formal instruction, particularly as a young child while the brain is developing at its fastest rate, is not a coincidence or happening. It is the ruling class using the underclass as a spending class, an economic engine. If a household has no equity, as many poor and first-generation college grads don't, they consequently spend a larger chunk of their monthly income than those with more equity. Back to the Banks: Having five different entertainment districts in the immediate downtown area (NKY, Banks, Casino District, Main St., Fountain Sq), it will be hard for anyone not to find their niche downtown. Increased options will make the area more consistently vibrant, day to day, hour to hour. The Banks is such a massive local drama that people will come down just to see what it looks like, and combined with the activity that the park will bring during evenings, I feel the development will compete with all the aforementioned districts. As jmecklenborg said, tenants come and go, but every development needs a rock, a surefire success in the market and location, the last door to close if the whole outfit fails, and Moerlein House will be that to the Banks. It's local, it's beer and it's between the stadiums...could really be an exciting place to drink and possibly inspire other investors to copy the format elsewhere around town.

Quite a falsehood about why black men get shot..

Great point, I believe there are many that feel the way your father does. The average Cincinnatian hates duplicity (and outright stunts) with a passion, and I think this will help the good guys.

Article doesn't mention the use of "crumbling bridge" by Obama. Even if he were to say that, that's exactly what Ohio-Kentucky should want from the President. The bridge needs replaced, the President has the juice to make something like that a reality sooner than most of us expect it to. It's not safe, it's a strain on the region and will continue to be a repairman's dream if not demolished.

That is sexy. Christ, this city is sooo behind! Behind the times and old fashioned...Vain even.

I think I've said this before...if the Enquirer and 700WLW were to just magically disappear forever Cincinnati would instantly become 100% better place to live. That station is a complete joke and is probably responsible for 98% of the ignorance people have in this city about politics and things like this project. I would argue that the unfair society that is Cincinnati has proliferated ignorance both formal and casual in the city and the suburbs. Poor city schools and outright exhaustion from being born and raised in the city limits accounts for much of the ignorance and lack of faith regarding rail transit. Poverty; the inability to travel and experience other cities is also a factor. I would chalk up most of the rest to Cincinnati's economic segregation and the fact that many of those people in those financially stable enclaves of the Eastside and the northern suburbs already experience day-to-day life on a coveted level, thus little motivation to adjust that lifestyle.

You're using the anti-streetcar argument for the subject of taxation, effectively staging an anti-streetcar argument because it doesn't personally serve your neighborhood and cook you dinner! If Cincinnati wants to go regional with its tax structure, the Eastside would build toll roads and checkpoints to protect its Kingdom from the rest of the cesspool of a city we would have left. The entire reason OTR needs so much special attention and investment is the lack of investment it has seen float away to other communities in the city for the last 60 years. Can't believe you really tried to make that argument.

Unfortunately ODOT has a thousand ways to force taxpayers like us to foot the bill. Dios mio!

Ohio legislators feel the money is in the "come back". If they do half of a job, then they still have the other half of the job to get paid for in the future.

Hamilton's bike trail along the river actually isn't bad, it just isn't connected with any city areas. I would classify it as charming.

No one said OTRCH should "give up" their "land". They could work with 3CDC to develop it into a higher and better use than a surface lot. I'd prefer to see it replaced with an actual building instead of a parking garage. It's an asset of OTRCH and it's completely up to them how/if/when they develop it. Too bad it isn't part of Mercer Commons IMO. Essentially, the comment at the Historic Conservation Review Board was <i>exactly</i> that suggestion -- it was suggested OTRCH sell, or give up, their land, so that more garage/more market rate condos and apartments could be built on it. I was there, I took notes. And yes, the orgs <i>could</i> work together to develop the surface lot into a higher and better use. But while both OTRCH and 3CDC are non-profits working in housing, OTRCH and 3CDC have very different missions; OTRCH "...works to build and sustain a diverse neighborhood that values and benefits low-income residents," and they "...focus on developing and managing resident-centered, affordable housing in an effort to promote inclusive community" while 3CDC's "..mission and strategic focus is to strengthen the core assets of downtown by revitalizing and connecting the Fountain Square District, the Central Business District and Over-the-Rhine (OTR)." e.g. Economic Development to strengthen the city's tax base. With affordable housing as a mission, a higher and better use for OTRCH would be more units of affordable housing, which is not congruous with 3CDC's mission. In my opinion, it is not <i>likely</i> that 3CDC would just bend to the affordable side of the housing spectrum when that is not their focus, and especially when creating affordable housing only makes sense when tax credits, etc are involved. For example, OTRCH and 3CDC are two of the entities that worked together on City Home Phase I & II and are currently working together on Phase III - 7 new construction town homes on Pleasant Street, where none of the new town homes are able to be subsidized to bring the price point down to an affordable level - because the numbers in the budget make it impossible to subsidize even 1 of the new 7. 3CDC also does not currently have a track record in developing affordable rental housing, because they have not yet developed any. So Idk. Unlikely at this time, in my opinion. I too would like to see a building instead of a parking lot on the site, for sure, I loathe surface lots! I love density! But in my opinion, in regards to the surface lot, it's wise to keep the existing use for now, even for another decade, and then leverage the value of the land in the future to construct a building that fits with OTRCH's mission. In my opinion, the land will be worth a lot more in the future and affordable housing will even more scarce at that time. & rather than lump the parcel into Mercer at the last minute, I'd rather see patience and well thought out development for the site in the future. Anyway. Fact is the surface lot will remain for now, and none of us can say what will happen 3-5-10 years from now, so we'll just have to see what happens, voice opinions where possible, and hope for the best for OTR as a community of people and as a historic district. :clap: Nice points made about 3CDC. Great post!

Cincinnati's petty politics.. http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20110814/NEWS0108/108150310/ Wonder if Pendergast realizes that Kennedy is taking shots at her and her colleagues at Gannett. Wondering how many more years the seekers of knowledge have to hang onto the rim of the toilet bowl as the leviathan that is transit swirls vigorously like a public stall.

Once OTR really hits its stride in private investment (streetcar), the feel of OTR will change with the density increasing more noticeably than now, mostly because the current efforts have been concentrated in a specific area. I'm just hoping that whenever, if ever, the Brent Spence project gets going that the atmosphere created by all that freed up property west of downtown will be urban. Modern, faux-historic, either one would be okay with me as long as the scale is appropriate for a central district. Hopefully the city planning will be better than City West, which didn't address neighborhood vitality. Where are the restaurants?

No disrespect, but again, I think it's very misguided to point to a place like Portland as a model city. And to me, that sounds like an excuse. Greater racial diversity should be a strength of the Midwest, not a weakness. For some reason the Midwest can't aspire to have the strong ethinic enclaves of the Northeast, and many then also say the Midwest shouldn't compare itself to the Northwest due to its relative lack of racial diversity. I just think the Midwest needs to quit making excuses and put up, or shut up. It's got better than average historical building stock, nice racial and cultural diversity, strong cultural assets, and tremendous health and education sectors. Plus the Midwest is blessed with tremendous water assets. What in the world in the Midwest doing wrong?! The Midwestern cities of Detroit, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago are some of the most architecturally significant cities in the country, and in some ways more significant than a few of the cities on the coast because of the variation in styles. I don't quite understand the love affair with ethnic enclaves though. Why would you want to force racial concentration, perpetuating the status quo? It's a discriminatory practice and nearsighted in the landscape of any city. As for Portland, as long as it's known for hate groups, it will never attract African-Americans.

The problem with Portland's streetcar is the lack of diversity represented along its route and in general, the core areas of the city. I hope minorities won't be displaced in Cincinnati the way they were in Portland when their transit boom was in full gear.

The sad thing is, he knows all that. Wouldn't be the first time he sold a chunk of his soul for a buck.

As long as council keeps approving these sorts of things, it will never stop.

Terrible article with awful language. Gotta love the hacks at Gannett.

Hopeful, yet founded. This park will be at the Banks, behind the ballpark, and could really serve as the city's new backyard if done right. Its central location gives it a significant advantage over the eastern parks. We all know how particular and lazy Cincinnatians can be. Central Riverfront Park puts the idea on a platter for them with a free beer on the side. Like natininja said, almost anybody will take a beer if you hand it to them.

The park (and Moerlein) have to be the parts of this redevelopment plan that I'm excited about most. A successful park at the precipice of the riverfront could be big enough to spark a cultural shift in this city regarding how people in the region and statewide feel about Cincinnati as a relaxing place to spend time.

I agree. There are so many themes and backdrops that contribute to the experience of The Banks that it will feel exciting and create energy for itself.