Just now, jwulsin said:

Does it seem deliberate? From the photo you posted, it looks like the bull is hiding and "peaking" around the corner, which makes me wonder if it was an artistic decision to poke fun at the traditional image of the aggressive bull. But I don't think of Jeff Ruby as the kind of patron of the arts who would be looking to challenge traditional images of power. 

I was told that he wanted it on the sidewalk, but not enough room. He already purchased the bull, so this was the plan B location. I know the man has a massive warehouse full of all his purchases, surprised he wouldnt put it in storage for another location. 

8 minutes ago, savadams13 said:

I was told that he wanted it on the sidewalk, but not enough room. He already purchased the bull, so this was the plan B location. I know the man has a massive warehouse full of all his purchases, surprised he wouldnt put it in storage for another location. 

That is amazing. Makes me love it all the more. 

18 hours ago, savadams13 said:

I was told that he wanted it on the sidewalk, but not enough room. He already purchased the bull, so this was the plan B location. I know the man has a massive warehouse full of all his purchases, surprised he wouldnt put it in storage for another location. 

 

The valet drop off is in that alley with velvet ropes and a red carpet, so customers walk right next to it on their way in and it actually doesn't seem too out of place.  However, without the valet setup during the day, it definitely seems like it is in a strange spot.  

Edited October 11, 20222 yr by nicker66

The new sidewalk on the West side of Vine looks nice. I wonder if Jeff Ruby could be pursued to support traffic calming on the East side of Vine. It would make his restaurant feel even more connected to the Square.

 

 

^ We do not need to calm Vine at 5th and Vine. It is not that wide to begin with and it is a bottleneck. It should be left alone. 

7 hours ago, nicker66 said:

 

The valet drop off is in that alley with velvet ropes and a red carpet, so customers walk right next to it on their way in and it actually doesn't seem too out of place.  However, without the valet setup during the day, it definitely seems like it is in a strange spot.  

So basically it’s greeting all the wealthy people who will pay for a valet and saying suck it to all the peasants who park their own cars. 

31 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

^ We do not need to calm Vine at 5th and Vine. It is not that wide to begin with and it is a bottleneck. It should be left alone. 

This proposal doesn't reduce any driving lanes, it just delineates the street uses better. At the very least, bollards are needed at 5th & Vine. 6 inches of curb are all that protect pedestrians from eastbound 5th St. drivers still in highway driving mode.

3 hours ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

So basically it’s greeting all the wealthy people who will pay for a valet and saying suck it to all the peasants who park their own cars. 

I mean if your eating at Ruby's your probably paying for valet parking as well...

Wonder what happens when Royce closes.... I'm hearing they are struggling.


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3 hours ago, lobanio0 said:

Wonder what happens when Royce closes.... I'm hearing they are struggling.


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Struggling yes but not for customers, they have been busy but a disaster in regards to staffing. They have had almost their entire kitchen quit since opening. But I couldnt imagine that restaurant closing anytime soon, but if it did 3CDC could fill that space in a heartbeat the location is almost flawless.

Edited October 12, 20222 yr by 646empire

16 hours ago, Ucgrad2015 said:

So basically it’s greeting all the wealthy people who will pay for a valet and saying suck it to all the peasants who park their own cars. 

That area already becomes a choke point at busy times, no need to further complicate traffic there. 

9 hours ago, 646empire said:

Struggling yes but not for customers, they have been busy but a disaster in regards to staffing. They have had almost their entire kitchen quit since opening. But I couldnt imagine that restaurant closing anytime soon, but if it did 3CDC could fill that space in a heartbeat the location is almost flawless.

 

I saw an allegation that the entire kitchen staff staged a walk out one night because they weren't getting paid. What a shame to build such a great restaurant space at a prime location and fall down on the operations.

6 hours ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

That area already becomes a choke point at busy times, no need to further complicate traffic there. 

 

A chokepoint? I'm there everyday and it is absolutely not a chokepoint. There is never any traffic backup there.

13 minutes ago, DEPACincy said:

 

A chokepoint? I'm there everyday and it is absolutely not a chokepoint. There is never any traffic backup there.

Really, whenever I am down there, oftentimes during rush hour, or else during Reds/Bengals events,  it is a chokepoint in town. People leaving the garage, people turning onto 5th, people trying to turn from 5th to Vine. We do not need to choke off another lane from that street at that block. 

The far right lane isn't even a driving lane. It's designed for mobile vendors, police vehicles, event loading, etc. We can bump out the intersection at Vine and all crosswalks to shorten the distance pedestrians have to travel.

7 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

The far right lane isn't even a driving lane. It's designed for mobile vendors, police vehicles, event loading, etc. We can bump out the intersection at Vine and all crosswalks to shorten the distance pedestrians have to travel.

Its a driving lane at some times of the day. Mobile vendors are not using it the entire time. I personally use that lane to pull into the Ftn Sq garage at times. We do not need to narrow that street to 2 lanes at that location. That is just nuts.

36 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

oftentimes during rush hour, or else during Reds/Bengals events

So only the times when auto traffic is always bad anyways and people expect there to be congestion

3 minutes ago, Dev said:

So only the times when auto traffic is always bad anyways and people expect there to be congestion

But you know that it is going to be a parking lot at that time. The lane is there to assist with that extra traffic. If you get rid of it you make the problem much worse. 

 

If you want to close the lane off on lunch hours during the workweek to park food trucks, carriages, etc. That is perfectly fine. When you have a heavy traffic day, you simply restrict the hours that a food truck can park there. No need to physically, permanently narrow the lane at all times. 

This is the sign immediately south of the crosswalk. No parking for anyone between the crosswalk and the parking garage beyond the sign, but there's no limit to parking for event setup, parks dept, etc. 

 

We do not need this lane for driving. We don't now, and we won't later. Bump out the crosswalks. Traffic will be fine.

 

3 minutes ago, ryanlammi said:

This is the sign immediately south of the crosswalk. No parking for anyone between the crosswalk and the parking garage beyond the sign, but there's no limit to parking for event setup, parks dept, etc. 

 

We do not need this lane for driving. We don't now, and we won't later. Bump out the crosswalks. Traffic will be fine.

 

We will need to agree to disagree on this one. Regarding bump outs and street calming, there are much more higher priority intersections that this one.  The whole point of street calming is to make it safer to pedestrians. The street is not that wide there to begin with. Given the amount of traffic and the intersections in the area, it is not a place where cars move at a high speed throughout the day. It is not an unsafe area where we need to slow down traffic. It should be left alone. 

22 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

But you know that it is going to be a parking lot at that time. The lane is there to assist with that extra traffic. If you get rid of it you make the problem much worse. 

 

If you want to close the lane off on lunch hours during the workweek to park food trucks, carriages, etc. That is perfectly fine. When you have a heavy traffic day, you simply restrict the hours that a food truck can park there. No need to physically, permanently narrow the lane at all times. 

So what!? You are in a car, you can easily go a different way. If we make it marginally harder to drive through this one block of downtown, people will take different routes.

 

29 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

We will need to agree to disagree on this one. Regarding bump outs and street calming, there are much more higher priority intersections that this one.  The whole point of street calming is to make it safer to pedestrians. The street is not that wide there to begin with. Given the amount of traffic and the intersections in the area, it is not a place where cars move at a high speed throughout the day. It is not an unsafe area where we need to slow down traffic. It should be left alone. 

 

You're showing that you are only down here during big events. I'm down here every day. Most days there is very little traffic most of the day and cars DO absolutely move at high speeds. I've seen several peds almost get taken out. I've almost been hit myself. You're just flat out wrong here.

3 minutes ago, DEPACincy said:

 

You're showing that you are only down here during big events. I'm down here every day. Most days there is very little traffic most of the day and cars DO absolutely move at high speeds. I've seen several peds almost get taken out. I've almost been hit myself. You're just flat out wrong here.

I am not downtown everyday anymore but still frequently enough. I drive over 5th street about 3-4 times a week. During rush hours and events, it is pretty crowded. During mid-day, no it is not that crowded. At no time are cars doing much above 35(max) in that space. There is a light located at 5th street, another one at 4th, and then another at 6th. It is hard to be in position to generate a lot of speed in that area to begin with. Also, again, there are many times where the 3rd lane is needed for traffic purposes. Just because it would be fine 2/3 of the time with 2 lanes does not mean you eliminate the lane altogether. You keep it for the flex times where you need increased traffic flow. 

 

I am not going to doubt your story, but let's be realistic, if you got hit by a car, it is at least survivable given that the cars are going at a much reduced speed in the area vs getting hit on Glenway or another major road where cars can accelerate to a much higher speed.  i certainly do not want to discount your personal experience, but c'mon, on all the intersections in town and all the busy streets, there are certainly many others where a road calming would be warranted before 5th and Vine.  

3 hours ago, DEPACincy said:

 

You're showing that you are only down here during big events. I'm down here every day. Most days there is very little traffic most of the day and cars DO absolutely move at high speeds. I've seen several peds almost get taken out. I've almost been hit myself. You're just flat out wrong here.

 

It is really easy to cross by the new Ruby's.  I've never once thought it was a danger.  Sometimes the garage entrance backs up and cars use that right lane.  Other times it is filled with vendors or contractors working on the square.  It is fine as-is.

 

If a street adjacent to Fountain Square needs bump outs, it is along fifth street at the crosswalk halfway down the block at the main entrance to 425 Walnut/Westin/Ingredients Cafe.  That is a true speedway due to people knowing they can blast through all the lights towards 71.  Nobody stops for pedestrians there.

11 hours ago, nicker66 said:

 

 

If a street adjacent to Fountain Square needs bump outs, it is along fifth street at the crosswalk halfway down the block at the main entrance to 425 Walnut/Westin/Ingredients Cafe.  That is a true speedway due to people knowing they can blast through all the lights towards 71.  Nobody stops for pedestrians there.

 

This is absolutely needed too. And like 50 other street segments downtown.

3 hours ago, DEPACincy said:

 

This is absolutely needed too. And like 50 other street segments downtown.

I know a lot of people are very anti-car here, but planners still need to take the big picture in mind and make sure that it does not create traffic bottlenecks. That is not good for everyone either. Solely focusing on pedestrians and treating cars as an enemy is not good policy. There has to be a balance. 

57 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

I know a lot of people are very anti-car here, but planners still need to take the big picture in mind and make sure that it does not create traffic bottlenecks. That is not good for everyone either. Solely focusing on pedestrians and treating cars as an enemy is not good policy. There has to be a balance. 

 

I wanted to chime in here. Downtown is increasingly less safe for pedestrians. You also say that cars driving 35 (only 5 miles below the speed limit that will likely cause serious injury or death) isn't fast, that is speeding downtown, its actually 10 over. Having almost been hit by two cars yesterday at the intersection that you're very passionately advocating becomes more car friendly.

 

How would you like someone speeding down your residential street going 10 over? While they're at it, let's have them run a stop sign or two while someone is getting ready to safely cross the street. I'm sure you'd be thrilled.

 

Additionally, you 100% can die being hit by a car at any speed. Pedestrians need better visibility, for themselves, as well as for cars to see them. That is what a bump out will allow. It seems like the war isn't on cars, but in reality, is a war on safe pedestrian access, bike access, and better transit access. However, you're self centered and you're not willing to sit in an extra two minutes of traffic (something that I rarely see in this block) for the good of the entire population.

48 minutes ago, Brutus_buckeye said:

I know a lot of people are very anti-car here, but planners still need to take the big picture in mind and make sure that it does not create traffic bottlenecks. That is not good for everyone either. Solely focusing on pedestrians and treating cars as an enemy is not good policy. There has to be a balance. 

 

I'm not anti-car. I own one. I drive it when I need to. But there is a time and a place for them to be prioritized. We have over-prioritized them in our urban core for too long. We need to improve safety and accessibility for people in public transit, on foot, on bicycles, and on other micro-mobility options. That is how we grow our economy and make our community safer at the same time.

At 23 mph there's a 25% risk of serious injury if you're struck. At 31 mph, that increases to 50%. At 39 mph, it's a 75% risk. Someone going 35 mph poses a significantly higher risk to pedestrians than someone going the speed limit.

Edited October 13, 20222 yr by jmicha

55 minutes ago, CBustoCincy said:

 

I wanted to chime in here. Downtown is increasingly less safe for pedestrians. You also say that cars driving 35 (only 5 miles below the speed limit that will likely cause serious injury or death) isn't fast, that is speeding downtown, its actually 10 over. Having almost been hit by two cars yesterday at the intersection that you're very passionately advocating becomes more car friendly.

 

How would you like someone speeding down your residential street going 10 over? While they're at it, let's have them run a stop sign or two while someone is getting ready to safely cross the street. I'm sure you'd be thrilled.

 

Additionally, you 100% can die being hit by a car at any speed. Pedestrians need better visibility, for themselves, as well as for cars to see them. That is what a bump out will allow. It seems like the war isn't on cars, but in reality, is a war on safe pedestrian access, bike access, and better transit access. However, you're self centered and you're not willing to sit in an extra two minutes of traffic (something that I rarely see in this block) for the good of the entire population.

We really do not need a bump out there. I get there are a lot of pedestrians crossing that intersection. I have done so many times in the past and still cross there when I am at Ftn Sq. However, there are times when there is just too much traffic to justify a bump out. 

 

Maybe what makes sense is allow food trucks, other vendors to use that space during less busy times and have it clear for traffic during high congestion periods. This way you do not need to spend the money to create a permanent chokehold and allow you to flex as demand requires. 

Apologies if I'm just confused, but isn't the easternmost lane always able to be occupied by parked vehicles? The signs indicate event trucks, general loading, and police cars are allowed to stop along this stretch when looking at Google Maps. There also doesn't appear to be any "no parking" signs north of the 5/3 garage entrance on this side either, implying car parking is allowed there too. What exactly would a bumpout do to traffic at this location? It's not a through lane currently.

Just now, jmicha said:

Apologies if I'm just confused, but isn't the easternmost lane always able to be occupied by parked vehicles? The signs indicate event trucks, general loading, and police cars are allowed to stop along this stretch when looking at Google Maps. There also doesn't appear to be any "no parking" signs north of the 5/3 garage entrance on this side either, implying car parking is allowed there too. What exactly would a bumpout do to traffic at this location? It's not a through lane currently.

 

You are correct. I posted a photo of the signs earlier, and Brutus continues to ignore reality.

HEALTHY HEART

Post-pandemic, an energetic Fountain Square has revitalized downtown Cincinnati’s social core

Fifth Third Bank and 3CDC have been refreshing Fountain Square since 2006. With 3.5 million expected to visit in 2022, that investment is finally bearing fruit.

By Andy Brownfield  –  Senior staff reporter, Cincinnati Business Courier

Nov 4, 2022

 

Lyle Nelson knew just where to take his friend Ronald Greene, who was visiting Cincinnati on a recent cool, sunny Thursday afternoon. Sidling up to Fountain Square’s new Container Bar to order sodas, Nelson and Greene ended up talking in the shadow of the Tyler Davidson Fountain for well over an hour.

 

“We didn’t plan to sit here so long,” Nelson, of Springdale, said. “But Ronald wanted to see downtown, and I thought this would be the perfect place. I always feel at home here. It’s the center of my city.”

 

Indeed, Fountain Square is the beating heart of downtown Cincinnati, host to concerts, food truck rallies, salsa dance nights, political demonstrations, lunches with coworkers, post-game hangouts and the recent Blink.

 

MORE

Does this mean we can officially declare COAST wrong in their claim that the renovation of Fountain Square would be a waste of money?

You can declare COAST wrong on pretty much everything. 

Nice article. What's with the Fifth Third guy saying that "most cities don't have a central forum." Pretty sure all our peer cities and certainly every major city in Ohio bar perhaps Toledo have a central forum/park/square lol.

Just an FYI, Toledo does have a central square called Levis Square.

3CDC: Vibrancy of Fountain Square vital to development of convention district

 

One of the driving forces behind development in Cincinnati's urban core is tying a healthy Fountain Square to plans for a key piece of downtown development.

 

Fountain Square was the first project taken on by a new group calling itself Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. (3CDC), a $49 million overhaul of the Queen City's public square in 2006. Since then, 3CDC alone has shepherded $824 million worth of development in the areas surrounding the square, including 1,157 residential units, 156 hotel rooms and nearly 773,500 square feet of commercial space.

 

Now, the group is looking west toward a missing piece of the downtown development puzzle: the convention center district.

 

"We're in the throes of deciding whether we want to renovate our convention center, we're looking at bringing forward a developer for a new convention center hotel, and the vibrancy and economic strength of Fountain Square and of the surrounding district is critical to our efforts," 3CDC CEO Steve Leeper told me.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/11/14/3cdc-fountain-square-convention-district.html

 

Struggling yes but not for customers, they have been busy but a disaster in regards to staffing. They have had almost their entire kitchen quit since opening. But I couldnt imagine that restaurant closing anytime soon, but if it did 3CDC could fill that space in a heartbeat the location is almost flawless.

Royce and Pearlstar closed today


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On 2/16/2023 at 11:40 AM, lobanio0 said:

Royce and Pearlstar closed today


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Is something going to replace Royce? I'd imagine that corner is one the top storefronts in the city, so there's gotta be demand.

Multiple well known Restaurant Groups are now in the running for the former Royce space. You can pretty much call it already off the market at this point from what I heard last week. I was told the names of 2 but would rather not say. Will keep you posted if I hear about one of them being finalized.

3CDC, Cincinnati, Hamilton County seek to boost Fountain Square as convention center closes

 

With the Duke Energy Convention Center closing July 1, the Cincinnati Center City Development Corp., Hamilton County, Visit Cincy and the city of Cincinnati have added money to fuel programming on Fountain Square this summer, increasing the number of events by more than 40%.

 

The number of summer events will increase from 135 in 2023 to 193, according to 3CDC.

 

3CDC usually spends about $225,000 programming the square from April through October. The city, county and Visit Cincy, the region’s convention and visitors bureau, have added another $150,000, with $375,000 now available.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/06/17/3cdc-events-fountain-square-convention-center.html

 

3CDC unveils Fountain District, a new branding for area near Fountain Square

 

The Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. is unveiling a new name for the area around Fountain Square downtown, with the hopes of branding it as a location in the same way as the Banks and Over-the-Rhine.

 

The nonprofit developer and manager of several city civic sites plans to call the area within two blocks of the square in all four directions the Fountain District. The goal is to create a brand that will promote street-level commercial, office, residential, parking and civic spaces to the public, as well as potential new businesses.

 

Businesses around the square tend to be locally owned and bring in nearly $100 million per year in revenue, according to 3CDC. There are about 100 businesses nearby.

 

In other cities, restaurants and retail near a city’s central civic space often are chain restaurants or national retailers, a distinction that sets Cincinnati apart and something 3CDC believes should be promoted.

 

“There’s just so many cool, different unique spots,” Christy Samad, 3CDC’s executive vice president for civic and commercial space activation, said. “We knew we wanted to create a brand and have some visual elements to it. We really wanted to make sure it was a term that people would use.”

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/07/07/3cdc-city-brand-fountain-district-fountain-square.html

 

Looks like a new tenant is under construction in the Fountain Square space along 6th St that formerly had a pizza shop (next to Green District) I took a peek at the permit and I think it read a Salon, a interesting tenant for that location if true. The area is booming.

On 7/7/2024 at 10:55 PM, ColDayMan said:

3CDC unveils Fountain District,

 

What happened to the "Backstage District"? 

 

It's amazing that the throwaway name The Banks, lobbed in 1997 or 1998, has somehow stuck. 

42 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

 

What happened to the "Backstage District"? 

 

It's amazing that the throwaway name The Banks, lobbed in 1997 or 1998, has somehow stuck. 

 

The Banks is simple, easy to remember, and references the most defining characteristic of the area - the river.

 

Fountain District is better than Backstage District for these same reasons.

I've still got my original Backstage District hardbound book that shows the renderings, architecturals, etc.

Outside of realtors and 3CDC social media staff, no one is going to call it the Fountain District like no one calls the 1200 block of Vine Street the Gateway Quarter.

I actually think the better name would just be Fountain Square. Kind of like the neighborhood around Rittenhouse Square in Philly is just called Rittenhouse Square. But I think Fountain District has a chance of catching on.

I wonder if this branding will manifest itself in physical form somehow (ie with gateway signage, banners, marketing materials in hotels and restaurants, swag, events, etc).