During workdays nearly every surface lot in downtown Cincinnati is jammed.  Any lot converted to public use would require a nearby parking garage or a garage beneath any new square.  The other big problem is that the lots all occupy spaces which formerly had buildings, therefore blank brick walls typically face the lots.  The hideous "park" where Queen City Square is planned is the best example of this. 

 

What's so frustrating is that some of the recent downtown development has torn down existing buildings when parking lots lurk nearby.  The CAC is the most recent example, it could have been built at 7th & Vine or 7th & Sycamore instead of tearing down Batsake's and The Hustler Store.  I can't really remember what was there before the Aronoff, but it too could have been built at 7th & Sycamore or where the new SCPA will be built.  Ironically I think developments today take over locations with buildings instead of parking lots is just so they won't be responsible for replacing the parking. 

 

There are complicated ownership situations surrounding many of the lots, for example St. Xavier High School owns the lot at 7th & Sycamore and subsidizes its general fund with revenue off that lot.  Any new construction on that lot would have to somehow guarantee the school as much or more revenue than it is currently collecting, however, the lot would lose its non-profit tax exemption with any for-profit activities on the property, like apartments or commercial space.

 

Yes the surface lots are full but  lets say you take 5 random surface lots; you can build a 5 story garage and eliminate 4 of them.  You could a) proceed build in those spaces ot b) create a little green space. I hear ya that blank brick walls typically face the lots, which may seem strange for green space but NY is full of these spaces and they have become very creative with these spaces i.e. greenery, benches fountains etc etc. You get get very creative with the design.  It certainly beats the look of a surface lot.

>Yes the surface lots are full but  lets say you take 5 random surface lots; you can build a 5 story garage and eliminate 4 of them.

 

Not really because the biggest lots are spaced randomly around town and businesses will complain about a lack of parking not just on their block but on the side of the block their storefront faces.  The fact is the average person is a complete idiot when it comes to parking -- many lack the ability to parallel park and many have no idea where they are downtown.  If there is parking on the other side of a block it is out of sight and so they don't even know it's there.  A lot of people have a very hard time wayfinding in cities and that is why you have to roll out a red carpet to parking lots.

 

The other thing is the price of property in downtown Cincinnati is extremely high, even for the lots.  If the lots are turned into publically owned greenspace, not only does the land acquisition cost millions, but the county loses the property tax revenue.  Arguably surrounding properties go up in value, but that's a risky way to run a business.

^

If developers cannot handle the costs of providing greenspace, then I think the government should purchase some of the parking lots downtown, and convert them to public squares and parks.

 

Let's consider an example of what this might look like.  Consider the so called "Greenspace" at the south east corner of 4th and Sycamore. Every time I walk by it all I can think to my self is what a waste of space.  Good intentions aside, at best, it's only slightly better than a surface lot.

 

In order for "Greenspace" to make a real contribution to asthetics, it needs to be on a much larger scale.  For example: Piatt park, Lytle park, and the new Fountain Square. 

Scale helps, but even a small space can be well-designed.  That 4th and Sycamore space could be much better executed.  Perhaps the Urban Design Review Board or 3CDC should get involved with creating livable outdoor spaces.

>Yes the surface lots are full but  lets say you take 5 random surface lots; you can build a 5 story garage and eliminate 4 of them.

 

Not really because the biggest lots are spaced randomly around town and businesses will complain about a lack of parking not just on their block but on the side of the block their storefront faces.  The fact is the average person is a complete idiot when it comes to parking -- many lack the ability to parallel park and many have no idea where they are downtown.  If there is parking on the other side of a block it is out of sight and so they don't even know it's there.  A lot of people have a very hard time wayfinding in cities and that is why you have to roll out a red carpet to parking lots.

 

The other thing is the price of property in downtown Cincinnati is extremely high, even for the lots.  If the lots are turned into publically owned greenspace, not only does the land acquisition cost millions, but the county loses the property tax revenue.  Arguably surrounding properties go up in value, but that's a risky way to run a business.

 

While I agree most people are idiots, that is no reason to keep unattractive surface lots> Those people can figure out how to park in a agrage.  As far as maximizing revenues and minimizing things like greenspace/ historical archetecture/buildins etc, American cities have been making this mistake for years and that is why so many cities are "dead".  The City has to be an overall positive experience which inclues maintenace of history and attractiveness of greenspace. The goal cannot just be to maximize revenues. If that is the only goal, noone will live there and noone will visit. 

A recent pic from the 17th:

 

This project is taking much longer than I expected, considering the progress that had been made by August.

i walked past there today...it really looks good as far as parking garages go

the horizontality of that entire area is nauseating.

^lol