thebillshark

This is a Metro system wide issue at this point. It's ridiculous to be considering the streetcar in a vacuum. Metro should have an idea of what's valuable and what's not based on how it fits into the entire system. Everyone interested in proposing uptown routes needs to read the book Human Transit by Jarrett Walker. Please don't stay away from it because you've heard the author is anti streetcar. He's not. He just realistically considers how they fit into the city wide transit network. Improving our entire system is going to include all the non sexy things are huge changes nonetheless like improved bus stops, increased bus frequencies, transit centers outside of downtown, real time arrival data for your cell phone. I still think my basic idea behind the Uptown Four ( http://goo.gl/awheu8 ) of going up Vine street and connecting to bus routes is a good, practical idea. At this point I think the biggest drawback to it is that many of the enhancements I envision for the Uptown Four bus lines should be extended to the whole bus system. I think we can have light rail but we need to make Cincinnatians fall in love with transit first to support the huge investment over the decades it would take to build the system. I'm out here in Portland right now and love it. Portland has a great streetcar but they are clearly taking an "all of the above" approach to transit.

Piccarded! Well those links and everything upthread does explain it. My only defense is it's usually not so useful going through posts a few years old on this site- but I guess historical info like this doesn't change.

So these were like streetcars that went between cities?

Weird, I have liked every Rhinegeist beer I've tried, which is more than I can say for any other local brewery. If you don't like hoppy beers, you should try Rhinegeist's Cougar. Also try Uncle if you're at the actual brewery- super smooth and mild but still flavorful.

The bollards are gone through attrition from vehicles and the elements- that's one thing the critics have been right about. But it's still a great project. I think usage will pick up once the construction on Central Parkway at the Hopple interchange is complete and it becomes a passable route to Northside.

It's not sacrilege. There's nothing to that building, and the site should be developed as you described.

I think in a previous study W Clifton scored highly but was hurt by steep grade and higher cost than Vine... But I agree with your sentiments. http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/streetcar/linkservid/252AD3BF-5298-4C97-A76EC7131F1A35AF/showMeta/0/

I like the idea of a long distance, grade separated light rail line. But, I don’t see the political will for it. Not on the state and federal levels. In fact, getting into conspiracy theory territory here, but I see the state government as eager to strangle urban growth in Ohio in order to prevent it from becoming a bluer state, with a lock on power until the next census redistricting comes along. That being said, does anyone at all see merit in my idea for the extension to Corry Street as planned, with a tie in to a high frequency circulator bus system? Financially, you save money by going with the existing rail plan. Politically, you could line up a lot of inner neighborhoods behind the idea, since it serves multiple neighborhoods instead of just one destination. You can take away some critics' ammo since it involves buses. And, you wouldn't have to convince outer neighborhoods why they should want transit in the first place. Transportation wise, you could convert some existing bus routes into expresses or rapids, with connection points to the circulator system, improving existing service. (For example, routes could connect to the circulator system at the transit hub planned for Northside, and continue downtown as an express instead of traversing Uptown.) But I would leave that part to the experts. (ICYMI: The Uptown Four circulator lines details are here http://goo.gl/awheu8 They could have off-board fare payment like the streetcar, with the same fare structure as the streetcar ($1 for 2 hours,) and free transfer between them (including the streetcar line.) The frequency would be high- 10 minutes or less between vehicles- and service hours per day would be long.) I don't think it's incompatible with the idea of a full light rail line and Mt. Auburn tunnel, I just think that that idea may be further in the future while this could improve transit in the near future. I'm not saying my idea is perfect and couldn’t be improved upon, route-wise or other wise. But it seems the rail people don't care for this idea and the bus people, a small and soft spoken group to be sure, don’t want to reveal their future plans for expanding service. From one end of the general public online comment spectrum I've heard "If it's not rail, it doesn't spark development at all" and from the other I've heard "boondoggle!" But I'd like to know why such an idea would be unfeasible or inadequate from a transit system perspective. If the streetcar as a downtown circulator has value, wouldn’t there be value in these neighborhood circulators as well? Wouldn’t it be a huge bonus if they all connected at a single point?

KJP I'll support passenger rail anyway I can, but the bereaucracy really seems to trip all over itself sometimes.

An nbc affiliate article about this has 0 comments. The WP article is only a few paragraphs and has just 16 comments. In Cincinnati, heads would be exploding!!!

Sounds like DC streetcar might not open at all in this article? How is that possible? Anyone have any insight into this? http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-streetcar-project-could-be-abandoned/2015/03/06/3b1e712a-c424-11e4-9271-610273846239_story.html

I am not having any luck with this page either.

Hey, you never know... what if they became major advocates to get the streetcar Uptown?

I think this is an appropriate response: "Whoa, if true." While I liked the idea of this becoming a boutique hotel its hard to argue with any entity (even if it is a mega church) that is willing to step up and preserve the building including restoring the steeples. Sad to say I watched them burn down from my front stoop. Yeah, they're going to have the resources to preserve and restore the building, which is a huge win. BTW, how many franchise locations can a non-denominational church have before it's considered a denomination? :-)

That's because the housing market is so wierd in OTR. You need big bucks to fix up an abondoned shell so those places are going to house upper class people. The other end of the spectrum, places that have remained continously occupied and currently housing low income folks, are probably in poor condition and are going to need a complete revamp soon (I'm thinking specifically of the Columbia on 13th and Walnut.) A place like that is too rough for middle class folks in its current condition, even if it wasn't reserved for low income. There aren't very many places that are a little worn but habitable and just need a little fixing up and a few trips to Home Depot like there are in the first ring neighborhoods.

I agree. I look at it like this: Since nothing can remain the same forever, a neighborhood's income level will rise or fall. This means it must either decline into poverty or "gentrify". If gentrification is evil and socially unacceptable, there's nothing for existing neighborhoods to do but decline into poverty. Sounds like a great outcome for greenfield developers in the exurbs.

Whad'ya suppose the 38k sq ft of commercial space incuded in that project is?

Ain't no early spring going on up in here...

Also if 3CDC controls a garage at this site maybe they could feel comfortable buiding denser with less parking in OTR- people could park here and ride the streetcar into OTR for $1. Or OTR residents could keep their cars here and use the streetcar to get to and from.

Gotta be taking into account the new town homes on Pleasant in the area plan and maybe the rehab of the two historic buildings. As far as parking goes they probably mean no huge public garage like was planned.

That building is inscribed "The Columbia" above the door I believe.

Pretty incredible that I unintentionally got that in the shot, right between the two elevator shafts. In six months, it will be totally hidden from this angle. Is Greg Hardman still trying to move the smokestack to save it from demolition? Where could it be moved to? Do you think it they could move it to the Schmidlap event lawn by the Lager House? I think that would give the Banks a lot more authentic flavor and add a key vertical element. Or what about in OTR on the lot next to, or across from the tap room? Would that be OK for the historic district or would it clash with the church steeples? On top of the north suspension bridge tower. Maybe in the roundabout with the lonely lamppost you have commented on in the past? That roundabout does need something though. Maybe not that, but something.

Pretty incredible that I unintentionally got that in the shot, right between the two elevator shafts. In six months, it will be totally hidden from this angle. Is Greg Hardman still trying to move the smokestack to save it from demolition? Where could it be moved to? Do you think it they could move it to the Schmidlap event lawn by the Lager House? I think that would give the Banks a lot more authentic flavor and add a key vertical element. Or what about in OTR on the lot next to, or across from the tap room? Would that be OK for the historic district or would it clash with the church steeples?

That's going to be a great view from there.

3CDC is responsible for the businesses and collects their rent. I believe 3CDC owns the space. I have an inquiry in to determine if they pay into the HOA (but it might be completely separate.)