Posted January 17, 200817 yr It's Time to GO By Joe Wessels, CityBeat | January 16, 2008 There are amazing disparities among the city of Cincinnati's neighborhoods. That's not a big secret. From Mount Washington's suburban-like feel to Lower Price Hill's abject poverty, sprinkled with a touch of Hyde Park upper-crust lap of luxury thrown in for good measure, Cincinnati's neighborhoods are about as diverse as the people who live here. Like the infamous question asked by thousands of local natives every day ("What high school did you go to?") supposedly a lot can be derived from the equally judgmental question "What part of town are you from?" There's a reason for this. City and Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber leaders have begun asking what to do about the disparities among neighborhoods, but for a different reason. The city doesn't have as much tax revenue as it used to, and it's only getting worse. The lack of funds, in turn, affects everyone. In their search for answers, city leaders commissioned "GO Cincinnati," a 100-page report (with a doubly-sized appendix) that looks into areas of "growth" and "opportunity" (G and O) for Cincinnati. Read full article here: http://citybeat.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A143602
January 17, 200817 yr more of wessels on Go*Cincinnati I missed Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory’s first press briefing of the year Tuesday, but heard a story on WVXU-FM and then read on the Enquirer’s political blog that the mayor “expects recommendations from the GoCincinnati study.” Well, that reminded me that, uh, yeah, I wrote about that already. In The Post. But it appeared in the paper on Dec. 31, 2007 - the last day - and the Enquirer pulled the plug on The Post’s archives at or about midnight on Jan. 1, 2008. That means the story appeared online for all of about 12 hours and was over shadowed by all the coverage about, well, The Post’s final edition. A little background: I received a copy of the preliminary Go Cincinnati report (i.e. not the final draft, but close) in early December after several city employees told me it was done and I filed a public records request. And though I didn’t spend much time talking about it in the article, streetcars are being recommended. What I thought was more interesting was the idea of place-based economic development. Streetcars already seem to have lots of support, place-based economic development just seems like it will have a bigger impact on more neighborhoods, thus more people - good and bad. Read on… By Joe Wessels Post contributor Cincinnati officials are studying whether a “place-based” approach would be best for the city’s future economic development. In an unfinished report that is part of the “Go Cincinnati” economic development initiative, experts in several urban development and real estate research firms suggest the city should spend money building up specific areas of the city and that would, in turn, spur further development in other areas. The report — conducted by Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution and Social Compact, Cincinnati-based KMK consulting and Bethesda, Md.-based Robert Charles Lesser Co. — cites “existing growth opportunity districts” as downtown, Over-the-Rhine and Uptown, an area around the University of Cincinnati campus in Clifton, Corryville and Clifton Heights. “New growth opportunity districts” include three areas: * Seymour Avenue and Reading Road corridor, an area covering parts of Bond Hill and Roselawn, including the TechSolve industrial park near the Seymour Avenue and Interstate 75 interchange and Cincinnati-Hamilton Community Action Agency on the former site of the Swifton Commons Shopping Center. * Queensgate and the south Mill Creek corridor, an area south of the I-75 and I-74 interchange south to the Ohio River. This area has become a “generally obsolete industrial corridor” that could be redeveloped into “green industrial parks,” according to the report. * Madison Road corridor, which begins at the Center of Cincinnati shopping center in Oakley and stretches east to Madisonville, which could become a “complex employment, retail and high-density housing concentration” that would allow for “drivable sub-urban” office buildings, akin to similar developments in places like Blue Ash, West Chester and Mason. City Councilman Chris Bortz, chairman of Council’s economic development committee and who helped spearhead Go Cincinnati with Mayor Mark Mallory, said the initiative, which has not been finalized, would allow the city to concentrate funds on particular areas that would help drive up the city’s dwindling tax base. “The lifeblood of a city is its income tax,” he said. “You need to have more jobs.” How to do that includes a strategy focusing on “public and private investment in specific geographic areas that can serve as economic drivers of the entire city and region,” according to the report. “If we are going to continue to be competitive as a city, we have to attract business and residents,” Bortz said. “You need to find sites, find land where businesses can locate.” The last time the city did this type of analysis the Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation, or 3CDC, was formed. That group has been primarily responsible for the redevelopment of Fountain Square and Over-the-Rhine, and was originally charged with getting the long-delayed Banks riverfront project launched. It also precipitated much of the development around University Hospital and the University of Cincinnati, Bortz said. Bortz said it was time to do another report to see where the city should go next now that most of the other projects are under way. “That data led us to the areas that are under review and are serious recommendations that can lead us to the next level,” he said, emphasizing that the report is not finished. Mallory said he would not comment on the report’s findings until it was completed. Bortz said focusing on smaller geographical areas allows for deeper concentration and, hopefully, bigger results that can spur other development. “You do that by concentrating on certain areas or there is no impact,” he said.
January 17, 200817 yr any one know how to get the actual document? I searched all over the City's website and could only find a link to a picture of the Mayor announcing the thing and some 2-page press release. Google also turned up the same results.
January 17, 200817 yr likewise, I never ask you people to dig for something without performing due diligence
January 17, 200817 yr Randy, what do you think of this plan? Seeing as how I haven't been able to read the full report yet I can't really say. The concept of a "place-based" sounds good though, and seems to work in other cities and in other facets of society.
January 17, 200817 yr Given that no one has access to the recommendations, going by thomasbw's long post above, I'll say that this isn't really telling us anything we don't already know. The biggest thing the city has going for it is an attitude and a focus that I feel wasn't around two years ago. Mallory has really given the City direction, and quiet competence. That being said, the Gateway rehabs by 3CDC are really paying off. They represent a real achievement that Luken/Lemmie deserve credit for. Obviously the Streetcar is the next major projects that the City is undertaking, with the Banks as sort of a half project (since it isn't entirely under the purview of the City). The City has a limited ability to effect a lot of the things that are confronting it (possible loss of international flights at CVG being a perfect example). I think continued focus on downtown and OTR is the most important thing. It is something that the City can effect totally and without interference. The City also needs to evaluate it's parking needs and make a concerted effort to reduce empty lots in these areas.
January 18, 200817 yr any one know how to get the actual document? I emailed Chris Bortz requesting a copy of the report...and I got a reply back saying that it should be up on the city's website by Tuesday. If not they said they'll make me a copy.
January 22, 200817 yr The full report is now up on the city's website. It is a cool 98 page read, enjoy: http://cincinnati-oh.gov/pages/-18168-/ Full Report (PDF 4.97mb)
January 22, 200817 yr Interesting report ... 3 things come to mind when looking at it: #1) Streetcar #2) Banks #3) CBD Residential Base
January 22, 200817 yr I'm interested in the proposed I-71 interchange at MLK. That could lead to new investments in Walnut Hills, Corryville, and Avondale. Plus, it's sorely needed. There's no easy way to get to UC for people coming north on I-71. When I came for my campus vist so many years ago my parents and I had alot of trouble figuring out how to get there because there's no exit.
January 22, 200817 yr ^ I also think they should put one at Victory Pwy. That's an unused 6 lane street.
January 22, 200817 yr I just finished reading the report in its entirety...and here are my notes: *The report seems to offer a two-fold solution. 1 is that the City should focus on its strengths (i.e. walkable communities, urban areas, culture, etc) for mid/long-term growth. 2 is that the City should look to eliminate the edge that currently exists for suburban communities over the city in attracting office/retail/residential growth. The analysis is overall not flattering, but does report a stable industrial market that is holding strong against regional competition...and that with a little more attention could easily establish itself as the premier industrial market for a couple of categories (i.e. Flex/R&D space and Green Industrial Parks). There are currently only 18 green industrial parks in the nation, and the potential of turning Queensgate into one poses possibly the greatest opportunity, and the ability to position Cincinnati as, "a global leader in 'green development' via the rehabilitation of these spaces." (pg. 34) Another good one is this quote: "It is strongly recommended that the streetcar line be completed between Downtown, Uptown, and OTR in the 1st phase of its construction. There is probably no infrastructure investment that will have more long-term tax generation and economic development benefit to the city than this streetcar line." (pg. 40) It also recommends to, "Develop building regs which codify the goals of zero-emissions and LEED certification for all buildings in the green industrial park." (pg. 56) The report also recognizes that, "In most American metropolitan areas, the nearly exclusive investment in freeways and major arterial streets over the past two generations has meant that only drivable suburban development has been possible for many decades. Multi-modal transportation systems and infrastructure investment can create globally competitive cities and dynamic, growing neighborhoods." (pg. 59-60) Furthermore, "Hamilton County and the region need the City to be stable, growing and a strong global competitor." (pg. 67) The report recommends the creation of two new organizations similar in scope to 3CDC and the Uptown Consortium. These organizations would help with place-based economic development projects in their respective locations. These two organizations would be: Seymour/Reading Development Corporation and Queensgate/Millcreek South Development Corporation. One final key note of mine was the recommendation of a joint Cincinnati and Hamilton County development authority. The propose that it be called the Cincinnati USA Development Authority (CUDA). It is recommended that the operations of the Port Authority be expanded to include all of the city/county. It also noted that this expansion, of the Port Authority, has already begun during this report process.
January 23, 200817 yr One thing I haven't liked about the mayor to this point is that although he clearly has strong viewpoints he doesn't have the strength of personality to really push things. Just not his style, for the recommendations in that report there will have to be some make your ears bleed advocates to get people in line and really push these points forward. Looking to see if Cincinnati can really make the turn or if it'll just continue to go half ass.
January 23, 200817 yr ^I'd be curious if you could give an example of a recent mayor of Cincinnati who did "have the strength of personality to really push things". I'd say you'd have to go all the way back to Gene Ruehlman before you'd even find someone close to that description. Considering Mallory's been mayor for only two years you might be expecting a bit more than he can deliver in that time.
January 23, 200817 yr Madison Road, Seymour Ave., Queensgate get new attention By Jane Prendergast, Cincinnati Enquirer | January 23, 2008 Cincinnati should focus its redevelopment efforts and investment on three new areas - along Madison Road from Ridge to Red Bank roads, around Seymour Avenue and Reading Road north of the Norwood Lateral, and in Queensgate, says a report released Tuesday. Those are three spots determined by the GO (Growth and Opportunities) Cincinnati project to be key in boosting job growth and, therefore, new revenue. Madison Road is a prime spot for "drivable sub-urban" office space, the study said, while Seymour Avenue is full of obsolete commercial space that could be redeveloped for "export ... and regional-serving"-oriented employers. Queensgate, it said, should be redeveloped as the "green" industrial park of the Midwest, attracting companies that seek to cut the "ecological footprint of their operations." Read full article here: http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080123/BIZ/801230330/1076
January 23, 200817 yr ^I'd be curious if you could give an example of a recent mayor of Cincinnati who did "have the strength of personality to really push things". I'd say you'd have to go all the way back to Gene Ruehlman before you'd even find someone close to that description. Considering Mallory's been mayor for only two years you might be expecting a bit more than he can deliver in that time. Yeah, I was a little shocked to read this ... So far I'm pretty happy with Mallory.
January 23, 200817 yr I could be wrong about this, but I suspect that if they build the MLK highway interchange they are going to destroy the railbed that was in the works for the I-71 light rail line. One thing that is very interesting- the Oasis line that goes from Downtown to Lunken (from what I can tell) continues past the Oakley Milacron site, the Gold Circle area (Ridge & Highland to the non-natives) and then past the Golf Manor/Cincinnati Gardens industrial area to Langdon Farm road. If you took it off the right-of-way at that point down Seymour Avenue to I-75 you'd have a potential rail line that would connect the Seymour/Reading area and the Oakley/Madison area. I wish I could post a map of that gaggle of words^, but I don't have those skills. Does anyone know how much freight, if any, is passing over those tracks? It looks like it is the Pennsylvania Rail Road, or the Norfolk & Western, now operated by the Indiana & Ohio railroad.
January 23, 200817 yr I could be wrong about this, but I suspect that if they build the MLK highway interchange they are going to destroy the railbed that was in the works for the I-71 light rail line. If the ROW is preserved then I'm cool. One thing that is very interesting- the Oasis line that goes from Downtown to Lunken (from what I can tell) continues past the Oakley Milacron site, the Gold Circle area (Ridge & Highland to the non-natives) and then past the Golf Manor/Cincinnati Gardens industrial area to Langdon Farm road. If you took it off the right-of-way at that point down Seymour Avenue to I-75 you'd have a potential rail line that would connect the Seymour/Reading area and the Oakley/Madison area. Nope...the Oasis line runs right along the river connecting virtually no one to nowhere except for people heading Downtown from Anderson Township.
January 23, 200817 yr Nope...the Oasis line runs right along the river connecting virtually no one to nowhere except for people heading Downtown from Anderson Township. You might want to get in close on Google Maps where Red Bank Road and Route 50 intersect. It really looks like there is a connection.
January 23, 200817 yr ^That's what I did...just wanted to post it for those who may not be familiar with the Eastern Corridor Project (aka Oasis Line). Looking at the aerial it looks close, but cross-examining that to the plan with alternatives doesn't seem to lead on that there would/could be a stop there.
January 23, 200817 yr I give up. I don't understand why you're frusterated...am I misreading the planned route and/or satelite images? I'm not too familiar with this area so I very well could be wrong...please do correct me if that's the case.
January 23, 200817 yr Standard view Google maps shows railroad as well: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.131858,-84.399719&spn=0.035287,0.075531&z=14&om=0 Looks like the Wasson line and the Oasis line get close at 50 and Red Bank, and then cross in Mariemont. That's the Red Bank stop on the Eastern Corridor map — the yellow line is Wasson.
January 23, 200817 yr For some reason I thought that Red Bank came into 50 further South from where the Red Bank stop is marked on the map, but after further review I stand corrected. Sorry LK. :oops:
January 23, 200817 yr Here's a better gmap showing the area LK is talking about: http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&ll=39.164141,-84.397659&spn=0.070541,0.151062&z=13&om=0 It does look like a spur from the Oasis line goes north, then noertheasterly toward Golf Manor. But it crosses Madison east of Ridge, so not that close to Milacron, which is served by that east-west line I don't know the name of.
January 25, 200817 yr Community leaders hope latest study is good to GO By Lucy May, Cincinnati Business Courier | January 25, 2008 http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/01/28/story5.html Sparkly new Fountain Square notwithstanding, the city of Cincinnati faces a world of economic hurt. The city has lost 8,000 jobs over the past five years. Office tenants have left 1 million square feet of space empty in the central business district as they've moved outside the city. And the city's high-income residents are moving to tony developments in Ohio suburbs and Northern Kentucky. Officials figure the city must grow its way back to financial well-being, and they're touting the new GO Cincinnati Growth and Opportunities Study as the key. Unveiled Jan. 22, the study is the culmination of more than a year's work by some of the region's busiest people. Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Bortz and Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber CEO Ellen van der Horst co-chaired the initiative, spending hundreds of hours meeting with regional heavy-hitters. Other steering committee members included University of Cincinnati President Nancy Zimpher, Duke Energy Ohio and Kentucky President Sandra Meyer, Fifth Third Bank Senior Vice President Ed Owens, Macy's Inc. Vice President John Hurley, Greater Cincinnati Foundation President Kathy Merchant and City Councilman Jeff Berding, among others Read full article here: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/01/28/story5.html
January 25, 200817 yr I'm getting a bit tired of the superficiality of media coverage. Some complaints: The city has lost 8,000 jobs over the past five years. Office tenants have left 1 million square feet of space empty in the central business district as they've moved outside the city. And the city's high-income residents are moving to tony developments in Ohio suburbs and Northern Kentucky. This can't be right. While the city may have seen those 8,000 jobs move to outside the metro area, and it may have even incurred a net loss of 8,000 jobs, 8,000 jobs didn't just disappear from the regional economy. In addition, if someone living in Pleasant Ridge and working downtown had his job move to West Chester last year, the city didn't even lose that person's payroll tax. This dismal fact is very possibly disingenous. I'm not in real estate, but I suspect the 1 million feet of empty office space is largely Class B office space that is being picked up by rehabbers and being converted into condos. Finally, large swaths of Hyde Park and Clifton aren't being abandoned by the country club set who yearn to breathe free in Kentucky and Clermont County. There's no space in the city for high-end housing, and hasn't been since basically the end of the Second World War. But even given that fact, people still manage to squeeze it into previously marginal areas, like Eastern Avenue, Downtown and Mt. Adams (granted it started earlier in Mt. Adams, but that place didn't become hot until the seventies). To be fair, I don't see anything new in this plan except an aggressive desire to build the streetcar and perhaps a belated realization of potential office space in places like Oakley/Madison and Seymour Reading. This move toward transit-oriented development is good, but I'd like to see a real plan and commitment toward that end.
January 25, 200817 yr This can't be right. While the city may have seen those 8,000 jobs move to outside the metro area, and it may have even incurred a net loss of 8,000 jobs, 8,000 jobs didn't just disappear from the regional economy. In addition, if someone living in Pleasant Ridge and working downtown had his job move to West Chester last year, the city didn't even lose that person's payroll tax. This dismal fact is very possibly disingenous. I too found the 8,000 jobs figure to be somewhat shocking and/or unbelievable...but as for your second point, the report did cover that fact about the whole payroll tax and used that as a highlighted point for being able to create executive style housing options within the city limits. I'm not in real estate, but I suspect the 1 million feet of empty office space is largely Class B office space that is being picked up by rehabbers and being converted into condos. The report covered this as well, and made a strong recommendation that the City aggressively pursue the rehabilitation of these structures into non-office uses (primarily residential). This would take that excess obsolete space off the market and push lease rates up...thus creating the potential for new speculative office development in the center city. There's no space in the city for high-end housing, and hasn't been since basically the end of the Second World War. But even given that fact, people still manage to squeeze it into previously marginal areas, like Eastern Avenue, Downtown and Mt. Adams (granted it started earlier in Mt. Adams, but that place didn't become hot until the seventies). There is no space in the city for this type of housing option currently, but this is not a problem that Cincinnati faces alone and others have dealt and are currently dealing with. If the City has a failed housing type, then we should hope that it is converted (much like the office space), into more functional/less obsolete residential space.
March 11, 200817 yr $575M corridor investment accelerating Madisonville growth By Kevin LeMaster, Soapbox Cincinnati | March 11, 2008 http://www.soapboxmedia.com/devnews/madisonvillenbd0311.aspx Over half a billion dollars are being invested in the Madison Road corridor, accelerating growth in the Madisonville's traditional business district. According to Bob Igoe, business development chair for the Madisonville Community Council, the neighborhood has hit "critical mass", and he wants the neighborhood to be the first focus area Go Cincinnati targets - specifically the intersection of Madison and Whetsel. He adds that they will also be able to channel tax increment financing revenues provided by new mixed-use developments along Red Bank Road, including the $75 million Midtown Crossing on the former NuTone site and the $45 million Madison Circle on the former site of the Oakley Drive-In. Investments such as the new Madisonville Arts Center, Just Saab, Volvo and Dial One Security have shown that the district is still viable. Igoe says that the renewed interest in Madisonville is even easier to see at meetings on neighborhood business development - they've gone from a handful of people meeting in his office basement to much larger functions attended by bankers, developers, and local decision makers. At the same time, the community council has been working on concentrated code enforcement, attempting to separate the legitimate business owners from the speculators. Igoe says that a recent example of the increased enforcement is the demolition of the Madison Building on the southeast corner of Madison and Whetsel, which the owner refused to maintain or to sell. "If a building is allowed to rot on a main corner of the business district, no one is going to invest in the building next to it," he says. In Igoe's view, the opportunity in Madisonville is similar to the opportunities available in Oakley ten years ago, with its affordable home prices and vacant brownfield sites. "There just aren't a lot of large areas for infill on the east side anymore," he says.
April 9, 200817 yr An eco-industrial vision for Queensgate By David Holthaus, Soapbox Cincinnati | April 8, 2008 http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/gocincy0408.aspx No history of Cincinnati is ever complete without a description of the role the Mill Creek valley played in the city’s evolution. The valley and the neighborhood of Queensgate inside it are a vast swath of flat real estate between the hills to the east and to the west, real estate devoted almost exclusively to commerce since the 1800s. In fact, Queensgate is Porkopolis. Hog slaughtering started here in the early 19th century and the butchering business continued throughout the 20th century, nearly until today, giving the city one of its oft-quoted nicknames. Manufacturing is what made Queensgate a vital piece of Cincinnati history. The city was the largest manufacturing center in what was considered “The West” in the mid-19th century, and Queensgate was where it was happening. Drawn there by the transportation nexus of the Mill Creek and the railroads, the industries of slaughtering, metalworking and garment-making thrived in the neighborhood. But manufacturing’s sustained decline took a toll on a neighborhood that was largely built in the 19th and early 20th centuries. And while there’s still a lot of commerce being conducted there, large blocks of real estate have been left vacant or are under used, and have been that way for a long time. And that’s exactly what makes it just about perfect for a visionary transformation into the next generation of manufacturing, says a team that studied recharging economic development in Cincinnati. The study, known as GO Cincinnati (for Growth Opportunities), was conducted by a group of economic and real estate experts led by The Brookings Institution. Its mission, set out by the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati USA Partnership, was to target economic development strategies that would pump up the city’s tax revenues and increase jobs. It made three “place-based” economic development recommendations, the boldest of which is a call to transform the broad Queensgate and South Mill Creek sector into an eco-industrial park. It would be the first of its kind in the Upper Midwest and would be a way to attract companies committed to reducing their ecological footprint, a growing part of the industrial sector, the authors say. Developers would seek out companies researching ways to minimize the environmental impact of manufacturing, and who have committed to reduce emissions, working toward a goal of zero emissions. Only buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council as meeting its LEED standards for sustainability would be developed. And a primary goal would be the environmental restoration of the Mill Creek, a waterway runs through the heart of Queensgate and has taken its share of industrial abuse over the decades. It’s visionary and it may be a key to the city’s economic future, says Chris Leinberger, a consultant from Brookings who led the study. “This country is dividing into two types of metropolitan areas,” he says. “Those that are firmly on the path of the 21st century economy, and those that aren’t.” A major commitment to redevelop a 19th century-era collection of properties into a place where the next generation of manufacturing can be developed is a way to get on the path, he says. Green manufacturing, he says, “is a 21st century economic base.” The study team calculated that realizing the strategy would mean a net gain of $13.6 million to the city’s general fund over five years. The team looked around Greater Cincinnati and saw some muscle power that could help make this happen. Industrial giants General Electric, Procter & Gamble, Toyota and Duke Energy all have major operations in the region and they all have put big money into researching and developing ways to be more environmentally friendly. GE, for example, recently announced its plans to double its investments, to $4 billion by 2010, in renewable energy technology, such as wind, solar and geothermal. Jim Rogers, CEO of Duke Energy, one of the nation’s largest burners of coal, has gone before congressional committees and lots of other places seeking rational regulation of his industry so it can plan for a greener future. “A clean economy and a healthy environment are not mutually exclusive,” he told a House subcommittee last year. Those types of major players will be looking for green sites to conduct green research into new green products, says Shyam Kannan, a GO Cincinnati team member and a VP with consulting firm RCLCO. “Why not Cincinnati?” he says. “Step out in front; create the receiving ground.” So why Queensgate? What makes this neighborhood the right place for a green industrial park? Essentially, the same things that made it so attractive to 19th- and 20th century manufacturers: its access to major transportation routes (now Interstate 75 and the rail lines); and its proximity to the central business district and, importantly for this initiative, to the University of Cincinnati and the area’s other universities. Queensgate is sort of a vast commercial umbilical cord of the city, daily transporting some of the stuff that sustains economic life here: a major CSX yard is a rail hub for the Midwest; Metro’s bus operations center is here; millions of letters and packages are processed at the main post office, and Union Terminal, once the locus for every passenger train that arrived and departed here, now houses the Cincinnati Museum Center and its traveling exhibits, the historical society, children’s museum and other intellectual assets. “It’s transportation and water that made the valley so important,” says historian Daniel Hurley of the Cincinnati Museum Center. The water is the Mill Creek, probably the most maligned waterway in Greater Cincinnati. In the 19th and 20th century, the Mill Creek served as a route to the Ohio River and the commerce taking places on its waterfront. It’s also been a dumping ground for industrial wastes. But the study team sees the Mill Creek as an essential piece of the eco-puzzle, and calls for working with environmental groups interested in cleaning up the Mill Creek and improving access to it. A park of the sort envisioned by the GO team might be a first for the region, but there are models and pioneers out there. The most well-known is probably Ford Motor Co.’s River Rouge plant in Dearborn, Mich. There, Ford hired sustainability architect William McDonough to redesign an 85-year-old, 1,200 acre facility. The centerpiece of the project became the Dearborn Truck Plant, where the assembly plant was covered with a low-growing ground cover to create a “living roof.” The ground cover, sedum, retains and cleans rain water and moderates the building’s internal temperature to save energy. The rainwater treatment system can clean 20 billion gallons of water a year, saving Ford millions that it would have spent on a treatment facility. “It transformed manufacturing from a dirty enterprise to a tourist attraction,” Kannan says. It’s also happening in Greater Cincinnati, just not on such a massive scale. One of the most notable examples is the Perfetti Van Melle office and plant in Erlanger, Ky., where Airheads, Mentos and other sweets are made. There, a geothermal system used for heating and cooling saves $20,000 a year in energy costs; a photovoltaic system saves $4,000 a year in electricity; retrofitting the lighting saved $9,000 a year and a closed loop system saves a million gallons of water that would have otherwise gown down the drain in the manufacturing process. They’ve also set up a recycling system that is saving $300,000 a year in candy that was previously discarded. The European-based manufacturer has woven those practices into its U.S. facility in Erlanger. “It’s part of our corporate philosophy,” says Perfetti Van Melle USA President Ronald Korenhof. The Melink Corp. in Milford designs renewable energy systems for commercial clients and designed and built it LEED-gold certified headquarters in 2005. The company has committed to making it a zero-energy building by 2010. It also leases a fleet of hybrid vehicles for its national network of employees and provides incentives to employees to buy renewable energy improvements for their homes. There are undoubtedly resources in place in the region to begin to realize the vision. What it takes is action, team leaders say. Chief among their recommendations to make it happen is the creation of a “catalytic development corporation,” a not-for-profit organization that would assemble the land, assist in remediating the sites and, in general, be a champion of the strategy. Corporate leaders are already on board with green strategies, Leinberger says. “The question is, do you, the people, have the intention to be partners in this, or just go about your business?” What’s at stake? “It’s your future,” he says. View article images with link: http://www.soapboxmedia.com/features/gocincy0408.aspx
January 5, 201015 yr GO Cincinnati adopted as official development strategy By Kevin LeMaster, Building Cincinnati | January 5, 2010 http://www.building-cincinnati.com/2010/01/go-cincinnati-adopted-as-official.html Last month, Cincinnati City Council adopted the GO Cincinnati (Growth and Opportunities) report and action plan as the official economic growth strategy of the City of Cincinnati. The motion to adopt was presented by Councilmember Chris Bortz, co-chair of a steering committee that spent more than a year developing the plan for targeted, place-based development, workforce development, and transportation investments in the City. In addition to Downtown, Over-the-Rhine and the Uptown neighborhoods, the report identified the Madison Road corridor, the Seymour/Reading corridor, and the Queensgate/South Mill Creek corridor – specifically, large vacant tracts and brownfields – as ripe for new growth. Originally released in January 2008, the City's Department of Community Development last month fine tuned the GO Cincinnati report, setting 28 short-, medium-, and long-term goals as a way to implement the plan's policy directives, to leverage public and private funds, and to measure the strategy's success. Chris Monzel was the only councilmember to vote against the motion.
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