The Uptown Consortium has been developing a wayfinding system for the Uptown area. This will be a significant improvement upon the current dated signage that you see scattered haphazardly throughout the area now.
The signage also seems to blend design concepts from other streetscaping elements seen throughout the City (primarily Downtown). The consortium describes the project as, "an implementation of a bold and unified Uptown wayfinding and streetscape design for pedestrians and motorists." They go on to say that this includes the development of a, "comprehensive, user-friendly Uptown map to locate key Uptown businesses, neighborhoods and institutions."
Hopefully this signage will be customizable and/or complimentary to signage that will need to be developed, for the Cincinnati Streetcar, when it comes to the Uptown area in the near future. I love wayfinding systems, but the last thing we need is redundant systems cluttering the sidewalks.
How long have you been a reader of UrbanCincy?
New Uptown signage on the way
Around the Cincy Blogosphere
Aren't quite sold on streetcars yet? Well if that's the case then check out some pretty convincing reasons as to why not to hate the proposed Cincinnati Streetcar.
You can also check out some MuralWorks action happening along Race Street Downtown. Maybe after that you should start planning on where you're going to spend your tax rebate. It might also be time to stop in and say goodbye to a friend.
And since we're in Cincinnati and all, be sure to check out the flying pigs as well.
*You can find links to these great blogs and much more over in UrbanCincy's blogroll in the left column on the site.
Get off the juice
Gas is $3.65/gallon around many parts of the metro, and even higher in other parts of the country. As a result people are starting to combine trips, rethink purchasing that Hummer, and are generally looking for ways to cut their consumption - which is great.
At the same time politicians in DC are doing what they do best which is pretending as if they care about reducing our dependence on foreign oil. $3.59 sounds like a lot, but in reality it is still not high enough to cover the costs of maintaining our beloved road system. State DOTs, across the country, are going bankrupt and the feds are going to be hitting the red very soon.
The rise in prices is simply going to the foreign nations that are providing us the drug that fuels our addiction. At the same time our infrastructure is literally crumbling and we seem to have no backup strategy as to how to deal with modest gas prices (when compared to other developed nations at least).
So what's an average citizen to do with these soaring gas prices and miserable economy? The answer is not pawning off your gold to pay for more gas. I would suggest moving closer to where you work, riding Metro (if possible), or carpool. These are all obvious solutions, but it seems that the location one gets overlooked quite a bit and is the one that can/will make the biggest impact.
Given that most people in this region work either Downtown or Uptown, I would suggest moving into the City of Cincinnati. Crime has been dramatically reduced over the past few years, Cincinnati Public Schools are poised to be ranked as 'Effective' (comparable to most suburban school districts), and there are numerous tax
abatements available to avoid property taxes entirely in some cases up to 20 years...and you could save a lot money on your commuting costs.
Transit Options for Cincy:
Cincinnati Streetcar
Metro
TANK
Light Rail Now
Streetcar passes FC, poised to pass Council
There was an emergency Finance Committee session held today at 9am to hear the compromise motion put forward from Mayor Mallory. This motion puts forth everything that was presented in the original study (Downtown/OTR Circulator route), but also includes the connector piece to Uptown. Essentially the connector piece is now included with Phase 1 and will be built at the same time...adding an additional $35M to the project cost that must be secured now prior to the start of construction.
There was lengthy discussion and John Cranley belabored the finance portions of the plan. Qualls seemed to ask a few questions just to get the responses 'on the record' from City Manager Milton Dohoney and City Architect Michael Moore. Chris Bortz spoke in favor of the project and described this time as, "a time for Cincinnati to be bold."
Jim Tarbel was the only public speaker and referred to the streetcar project as, "the single most important development project right now and over the past decade." John Cranley made sure to quickly point out that he "respectfully disagreed" with Mr. Cincinnati and that he wishes the project success.
When all the dust settled the votes came in and it was a unanimous vote (7-0, Laketa Cole was absent). This will now go on to the full Council today at 2pm at City Hall. When it is approved there the project is given a green light and the legislative approval from City Council. The City will then be able to enter into negotiations with private entities to pay for portions of the project. The snowball has begun its proverbial journey down the hill. Be there at 2pm and afterwards there will be celebrations at City Cellars (908 Race Street) around 5:30pm.
Additional reading on UrbanCincy:
Clyffside, Streetcars, Moerlein...oh my
A challenge for those who demand better
Cincinnati is ready to GO
Cincinnati sleepy no more
Streetcars/Transit should be #1 priority for Cincinnati - Reader's choice
Clyffside, Streetcars, Moerlein...oh my
Last Friday (4/11) was a great day for Over-the-Rhine, and especially the Brewery District. There was the debut of a new Ohio Historical Marker for the Brewery District...and the Clyffside building kicked off its renovation process with a 'wall knocking' by council members Chris Bortz and Roxanne Qualls.
Brewery District people spoke, the two council members, and many others saw this as a chance to voice their support for the Cincinnati Streetcar. At one point the audience was instructed to look out the window and notice where the Northern end of the Streetcar will eventually be (1.5 blocks away or so). Needless to say, people were excited about the historical honor and the announcement of a renovation project that will bring 19 new units to OTR ranging from the low 100's to the mid-200's. Oh yeah, and the free Christian Moerlein was great too.
You can view the rest of my photos from the Clyffside ribbon cutting, historical marker, and building tour HERE.
View from The Clyffside units (Randy Simes)startriding*METRO
As you have probably seen, the results for March's poll are in...and they are clearly skewed towards one end of the spectrum. Of the 125 total votes 64% of the respondents said that they only ride Metro a few times a month or never at all.
Due to what I thought was the readership of this site, I found this somewhat surprising, but then after further thought not so much. For full disclosure I must say that I selected the 'couple times a week' option. Once I move though that response will most certainly change to a daily ridership as I plan to get rid of my car entirely.
So what's your story...do you ride often or not so much. And in either case, what's the rationale? Is it an inconvenience, not your style, or do you really love and/or hate riding the bus? Do tell.
Fight the hypocrisy
The local media outlets have never been shy of notifying the public on how long it has taken to get things going on The Banks, nor have they been hesitant to smear every person/agency related to the project - attributing said delay to them. At the same time the many local naysayers and/or skeptics have been openly critical of politicians, government, non-profits, and even those who support reinvestment in our region's core. These same people and entities have not hesitated in questioning $25M in City money for a streetcar system in our region's core.
I do not have a problem with people who wish to keep things in check and/or question authority, but what I do hope is that these same people place the same amount of scrutiny on other things. If we are going to question $25M of public dollars for streetcars, then I surely hope that we question the $2.5B that will be spent on roadway projects this year alone. These roadway projects are not subject to public vote and are simply funded with little public debate or dialog.
Additionally as we all know, The Banks has been 9 years in the making...and the local media has had no qualms with pitting Nky v. Cincinnati in the past, so I hope this same level of scrutiny is passed along to another comparable project in Nky - Newport Ovation.
I applaud local leaders for their dedicated work on The Banks and the Cincinnati Streetcar project. These types of projects are not easily done and often times take many years to accomplish. Keep up the good work.
Photo Credit: Cincinnati Enquirer/Gary Landers
A challenge for those who demand better
Are you tired of the same old stall, do-nothing politics? Do you yearn for a day where
It should be noted though that this process has been stagnant now since October 24, 2007. It has been five months since any real action has been made by city council or the finance committee. In terms of inflationary costs alone this inaction has cost taxpayers roughly $2.12 million. John Cranley and Roxanne Qualls have been working very hard to keep this process from moving forward, and they have succeeded now for five months.
I urge you to demand change from our local leaders and let Cranley/Qualls know that you do not stand for the same old stall and do-nothing politics of old. These actions are costing the taxpayers money, city staff time and exhausting the many pro-bono efforts that have been made by local citizens.
If you stand for change let them know and share this message with as many people as possible. Let the politicians know that they aren’t going to grandstand/posture on the taxpayer’s dime. Let them know that the time for politicking is over, and most importantly, let them know that your support hinges upon this.
- Roxanne Qualls
801 Plum St. Rm 352
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1979
Phone: (513) 352-3604
Fax: (513) 352-3621
roxanne.qualls@cincinnati-oh.gov
- John Cranley
801 Plum St. Rm 356
Cincinnati, OH 45202-1979
Phone: (513) 352-5303
Fax: (513) 352-4657
john.cranley@cincinnati-oh.gov
Finance Committe Vote 3/24/08
Cincinnati City Council is poised to approve City Manager Milton Dohoney's plan to build the streetcar.
City Council's Finance Committee will vote at 1:00p on Monday, March 24th to approve the streetcar financing plan in principle and authorize the city administration to meet with private and other governmental partners to secure the remaining funds. If passed on Monday, the motion will be approved by the full City Council at its regular meeting on Wednesday, March 26th at 2:00p.
This process has taken a little longer than expected, but the extra due-diligence has strengthened the plan. The vote next week won't authorize the sale of bonds or the purchase of streetcars, but it creates the framework in which those things will happen over the next year or so. We're on track, so to speak, to have the first streetcar operating in 2011. Who knows, maybe we'll have the first car start running on April 29th, 2011 - that would be 60 years to the day when streetcars stopped running in Cincinnati.
WE NEED AS MANY PEOPLE TO SHOW UP AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Should this pass get ready for some celebration(s) Monday night.
Cincinnati City Hall is located at 801 Plum Street, and Council Chambers are on the Third Floor.
Hope to see you on Monday.
Cincinnati's Mark Twain complex
Is Cincinnati ready to shed the Mark Twain complex? That infamous quote seems to rear its ugly head too often, and unfortunately is seemingly reinforced by the moves/actions of local politicians, businesses and residents.
I’ve been called “viciously optimistic” about Cincinnati before, but I know when to call a duck a duck. The Banks is going to happen and it will be sooner rather than later, but it has taken us a decade to get this far. Cincinnati finally told Eagle Realty to take a walk after wasting years of time with the valuable 5th & Race location.
Cincinnati is on the cusp of a vote on the Cincinnati Streetcar proposal. This is something that many cities are looking into, but we are one of the furthest along in the development process. Cincinnati, yes CINCINNATI has the opportunity to do something that cities like Atlanta, Washington D.C., Portland and Columbus (to name a few) are all trying or have done the modern streetcar push.
Well what do you know…a couple of weeks before the Finance Committee is to vote on the proposal John Cranley publicized a 9-page list of questions – questions that have been answered by city staff and City Manager Milton Dohoney. These answers will be presented at the Finance Committee hearing on February 25th…however it seems VERY unlikely that it will budge Cranley on his views one bit.
To throw another wrench in the works, Roxanne Qualls suggests that another route altogether might be a better idea. You know nothing is more productive than waiting until 5 days before the hearing and suggesting that we start from scratch.
I won’t bore you with why the current proposal is solid, and why I think these politicians are simply employing stall tactics…but rather I will make the bold statement that Cincinnati shed this Mark Twain complex and start proving to our citizens that we can do big things, and we can do them quickly/efficiently.
Image Credit:
Twain With Pipe from the Kingwood College Library
Reducing Cincinnati's greenhouse gases
The City of Cincinnati has established a Climate Protection Steering Committee (PDF 48kb) to help the City figure out how it can be more environmentally responsible and to examine the City's Climate Action Plan.
Study results have shown that Cincinnati has reduced its greenhouse gas emissions since 2000, and is 6% more carbon efficient than the national average. That's great, but more can be done...MUCH more.
The newly established Committee has recommended that Cincinnati:"...reduce its GHG emissions by 10% by 2012 (short term goal); 40% by 2027 (mid term goal); and 86% by 2050 (long term goal)."
This long-term goal also falls in line with what most scientists consider the necessary reduction (80% by 2050) in order to stabilize the planet's climate at a "tolerable level." So how do we accomplish this...well the second highest source of GHG emissions, in Cincinnati, is transportation. At the same time Cincinnati has no rail transit
alternative for local/regional commuting patterns. It seems that it might be about time to start looking into such alternatives.
External Links:
Ohio Hub Plan (regional rail)
Cincinnati Lightrail
Cincinnati Streetcar
Graph Credit:
United States Environmental Protection Agency
The New Urban Century
From the beginnings of civilization around 4000 B.C., man has lived a predominately rural life. Cities were the wellsprings of arts, culture, science, et. al., but the majority of people still lived in rural areas. Recently, or in the very near future, more people will live in urban areas that rural areas Although some demographers predicted that this event happened in 1994, the 21st century will be mankind's first urban century.
Ohio Hub Plan Advocacy
All Aboard Ohio is the statewide advocacy group for regional high-speed rail, and they have now introduced a new online petition. Their goal with this is to, “forward the link to this online petition to every email address in Ohio leading up to our LegislativeSummit on April 30th.” Primarily what they're advocating for is the development of the Ohio Hub Plan.
Another thing you could do is write letters to your congressional representative and/or your related member in Senate. We need to bind together and work towards accomplishing this goal. Sign the petition, it literally takes about 30 seconds.
Cincinnati is ready to GO
The Growth & Opportunities Survey for the City of Cincinnati (aka GoCincinnati) has finally been released - all 98 pages of it. I will venture to say that the majority of people will not read the report, and if you do, it will probably consist of skimming...so I have taken the liberty of reading it for you, and here is my report on GoCincinnati.
The report seems to offer a two-fold solution. First, the City should focus on its strengths (i.e. walkable communities, urban areas, culture, etc) for mid/long-term growth strategies. Secondly, the City needs 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)
The report also places a large emphasis on creating a multi-modal transportation system...which can be started with the streetcar proposal. The report states, "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)
Another key area of emphasis is on converting obsolete office space, in the CBD, into non-office uses...primarily in the form of residential spaces. This would allow for rates to creep up and possibly create demand for new speculative office construction, additionally it would inject even more people into the center city.
One final key note of mine was the recommendation of a joint Cincinnati and Hamilton County development authority. The report proposes 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.
For any more information you'll just have to read the report yourself...it's good for you. All in all, I find this to be fantastically informative and well done. This is something that Cincinnati should really embrace and attempt to position itself strategically for economic and population growth.
Full Report (PDF 4.97mb)
Image Credit:
www.cincystreetcar.com
I've got your Downtown grocery right here
With the growing residential population Downtown and the new activity being seen on a daily basis...the talks of a full-scale grocery store for Downtown have heated up again. I think it is BS when people say the demographics aren't right, or that a location isn't there that meets their needs. I won't bore you with demographic talk, but I will dive into the location part of the discussion.
I've got a couple locations that I think would be great for a nice full-scale grocery Downtown. The first one is 7th & Vine. This is about as close to the center of the population (for the center city) as you can get. There are currently two surface lots there and is located 2 blocks from Fountain Square and 1 block from the proposed streetcar line.
Sunflower Market a natural foods grocery in Columbus - highstreetart.blogspot.comMy second option would be at Tower Place Mall along 4th Street. The street-level would have to be completely reworked to have direct access, but this could prove to be the rejuvenation that Tower Place needs. This is just 1 block from Fountain Square and about 1.5 blocks from the proposed streetcar line.
Finally there is always the massive surface lots near St. Xavier Church at 7th/8th & Sycamore. This location is in a rapidly growing residential area, and offers lots of readily available land just waiting to be built on. This location though is slightly further away from being central, but is smack dab on the streetcar line.
Cincinnati sleepy no more
Many have often criticized this city for being slow to act, and essentially being unable to do big things. All of these naysayers have had the necessary fodder for some time now, but are now at a point of starvation.
They said The Banks wouldn't happen, that the streetcar works in a place like Portland not Cincinnati, they also said that QCS II wouldn't happen, and that Fountain Square would be a disaster and a waste of money. Well those naysayers couldn't be more wrong.
The Banks will be breaking ground on phase 1 this coming Spring, research/reports have indeed suggested that streetcars can work here, QCS II will be breaking ground this coming Summer, and Fountain Square has proven to be a smashing success that has lured tons of new investment and businesses to the center city.
Still think big things can't happen in Cincinnati? City leaders are essentially doing everything in their power to prove you wrong, and to be honest I think they're doing a darn good job.
Streetcars/Transit should be #1 priority for Cincinnati - Reader's Choice
Your votes have been cast and have spoken loud and clear. By a wide margin the readers of UrbanCincy have stated that streetcars and/or other rail transit should be the #1 priority for Cincinnati.
The poll had a 162 total votes with 50% (81) voting for the rail transit option. Redevelopment of OTR and completion of The Banks finished 2nd and 3rd respectively. Interestingly enough public education received the least amount of votes (even behind public safety). So anyone want to elaborate on why they voted for what they did?
BTW, if you would like to receive regular emails regarding what's happening with rail transit in Cincinnati sign up for the listserv. All you have to do is send an email HERE expressing your interest to be included on the listserv, and presto magico you've got hot off the presses emails regarding transit in Cincinnati.
www.cincystreetcar.com
www.citystreetcar.net
www.pro-transit.com
Improving Cincinnati's bike scene
Cincinnati is great...it's a very walkable city that has interesting streetscapes that do not completely bend over backwards to accommodate the automobile. I also feel that Cincinnati has a pretty strong bicyclist contingent... but with that said, I also think we should be doing a lot more to provide safe bicycle networks and parking facilities.
Bike Oasis Covered Bicycle Parking Facilitywww.streetsblog.org
All in all, it seems like something worthwhile for the city to pursue. You could reduce traffic congestion, air pollution, improve fitness levels, offer greater amounts of parking options and just make the city a more attractive place for those who choose to travel by bike. Given the recent progress of streetcars it would seem to be an attractive opportunity for the city to pursue.
Bicycling in Cincinnati:
MoBo Bicycle Co-op
Bike Trails in the Tri-State
Trail Yeah
Trek Cincinnati
Morning Glory Bike Ride
November 6th nears
In case anyone cares...here is where I stand on the issues and politicians for this coming election day. Please remember to get out and vote; if you need more information on polling location or anything else GO HERE!
City Council:
Chris Bortz
Roxanne Qualls
David Crowley
John Cranley
Laketa Cole
Jeff Berding
Leslie Ghiz
Greg Harris
Joan Kaup
***All of these candidates have indicated their support for the streetcar system. In addition to that they were based on the judgment on whether they are pro-city or not. I took political affiliations out of the question and looked at who is best for the city.
Issue 27 (Jail Tax):
Yes
I won't go into every single thing on the ballot, but these seem to be the two most interesting categories. So if for some reason you need a cheat sheet when heading into the voting both just hit print screen and take UrbanCincy into the booth with you.
Can I count my chickens yet?
The two biggest projects going on right now in Cincinnati would be The Banks and the streetcar proposal...and the old saying goes, "don't count your chickens before they hatch." But it seems like both are chugging along now at a pretty good rate, and while there is some opposition for both, that opposition doesn't seem to have much traction.
The people making the decisions are generally supportive of both efforts and seem ready and willing to pass both through. The Banks is happening right before our eyes and looks like it will have all the political approvals it needs to move forward; ground breaking seems like for the 1Q of 2008.
The streetcar proposal has really gone public now and the naysayers have come out as everyone expected they would. However this is a project that will not require a public vote (which I don't think would be an issue anyways) and simply has to gain the approval of City Hall. After that you'll see tracks being laid and quite possibly streetcars running by the 4Q of 2010 (roughly the same time that people will be living at phase 1 of The Banks).
I don't want to get ahead of myself, but it seems as though this city is finally moving forward with The Banks and is moving very quickly to get streetcars running soon. I'll just say that I've got my camera ready for the ground-breaking ceremonies that are going to be held in the very near future.
