Posts tagged “Evanston”

Cincinnati’s Wasson rail corridor should not be converted into recreational trail

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In the post-industrial United States cities all across America have been left with an abundance of rail right-of-way that once served industrial properties. Cities have since struggled to find a use for these rail corridors.

In many cases the rail right-of-way either gets built over, or makes room for some other use – most typically a park or trail of some sort. The most famous, and perhaps most unique, example of this is New York City’s Highline which converted an abandoned freight rail corridor into an elevated park. In most cities, however, much simpler trails are developed in order to cater to bicyclists and pedestrians.

These are great projects, but in the cases where rail right-of-way is needed in order to introduce rail transit, they should not be done. The acquisition of right-of-way can be one of the most difficult hurdles to clear when developing rail transit, so if you have a prime corridor intact, you should do everything in your power to preserve it for future rail transit.


Map of the proposed Wasson Way Project.

The reason this is particularly important in Cincinnati right now is because on March 6, advocates of what is being called Wasson Way Project will present their ideas for converting the Wasson Corridor into a bike/ped trail to City Council’s Strategic Growth Committee.

The idea is not a bad one on face value, but should it proceed it would eliminate one of the most valuable rail corridors in the city. A corridor that could connect neighborhoods like Hyde Park, Oakley, Evanston, Norwood, Mt. Lookout, Fairfax and Mariemont with light rail and eventually connect those neighborhoods to the region’s two largest employment centers – uptown and downtown – without much additional track or right-of-way acquisition.

“I know of no example in the United States where a former railway that has been converted to a bike/hike trail has ever been returned to passenger rail service,” explained Cincinnati transit advocate John Schneider (aka “Mr. Transit”). “Once it’s gone, it’s gone.”

Rail corridors that run through areas of limited potential transit ridership like the Oasis Line should be redeveloped into trails. It just makes sense. There is less automobile traffic and the riverfront trail provides a scenic ride for bicyclists and connects its users to a string of riverfront parks.

The Wasson Line, however, is ripe for light rail service with its densely populated neighborhood, vibrant business districts and key attractions along the line. The Oasis Line should become a bike/ped trail, but the Wasson Line should not.

Unfortunately the exact opposite is progressing for both of these lines in Cincinnati. Hamilton County officials continue to explore funding options to turn the Oasis Line into a commuter rail corridor, and a citizen-led group is strongly advocating for the conversion of the Wasson Line into a bike/ped trail.

While UrbanCincy supports conversion of some rail right-of-ways into other uses, we believe it needs to be done in a thoughtful manner that considers the future transit needs of the region. The Wasson Line is too valuable to convert into a bike/ped trail and should be preserved for an urban light rail line.

The upcoming committee meeting is scheduled to take place at 12pm on Tuesday, March 6 at City Hall (map). We would like to urge you to come out and support the future of regional light rail in the Cincinnati region, and request that the Wasson Corridor not be converted into a recreational trail.

Currito embarks on urban expansion effort throughout Cincinnati

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Currito has announced that they will open two new locations this year in Evanston and Downtown, and an third independent restaurant in Over-the-Rhine called Bakersfield Taco Grill. The Cincinnati-based company already has locations in Clifton Heights and Florence, but their recent announcements mark a bold move into the urban frontier that they wish to call home.

“Downtown is experiencing some very positive changes, and we really want to be a part of the forward motion that is happening there,” Currito co-founder Joe Lanni told UrbanCincy last week. “We are committed to continued growth in this market, and downtown is the best place to gain exposure to people from all over the city.”

In the end, Lanni believes that the exposure these urban locations offer is invaluable to promoting the company’s overall brand and image identity.

The downtown restaurant will be Currito’s flagship location when it opens within the 3,074-square-foot space located inside the Mercantile Building (map). Lanni says that they have signed a 10-year lease on the space, with two five-year options.

Joe, and his brother John, will open up a new Currito location on Xavier University’s campus in Evanston this August before opening the two new restaurants in Downtown and Over-the-Rhine (map) this October.

“We are excited to have found a location that is central to the exciting events that happen on Fountain Square,” Lanni said about their future flagship location downtown. “We were very conscious about looking for a high-profile place to roll out our most current design in our home market.”

Once the Lanni’s complete their next wave of growth in Cincinnati, Currito will boast 15 locations in eight different states. The non-Cincinnati locations are managed through franchisees which the Lanni’s have overseen since they founded Currito in 2005. Stay up-to-date by following Currito on Twitter @CurritoBurrito, or by becoming a fan on Facebook.

Photograph of Currito’s Clifton Heights location by Randy A. Simes for UrbanCincy.

$14.4M Red Cross headquarters poised for LEED-Gold certification

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When the Cincinnati Region of the American Red Cross celebrated the opening of a new $14.4 million Disaster Operations Center in Evanston last month, local leaders and community members were celebrating much more than new and improved facility, they were celebrating a new and improved facility that focuses on sustainability.

Designed by Cincinnati-based emersionDESIGN, the new 45,000 square-foot facility includes a variety of sustainable features like low-flow water fixtures that reduce water consumption by 40 percent, high-efficiency glazing and well-insulated wall cavities, bike racks and showers to promote eco-friendly transportation, sensor lighting and controls to reduce energy use. Outside the structure developer Neyer Properties included bioswale and rain garden systems to decrease impact on the storm water system, use of native landscaping to reduce irrigation, LED parking lot lights, an energy recovery ventilation, and a green roof.

In addition to the building features, the development team used more than 30 percent recycled material on the project, 40 percent regional materials, used woods certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, and recycled over 75 percent of construction debris from the site. The team expects to hear back on their Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) application by the end of 2010, but it is widely expected that the structure will achieve LEED-Gold certification.

“As the design developed, it became apparent to us that we could move up in LEED rankings,” said Charlie Pond, Building Development Director, Neyer Properties. “It was a joint goal between Neyer Properties and the Red Cross to create a sustainable building, and we were emphatic about being environmentally friendly.”

The green roof incorporated into the building’s design covers approximately 25 percent of the total roof area. The sedum plants covering the roof area minimize the need for heating and air conditioning by reducing the amount of heat the building absorbs in summer and conserving building heat in winter.

Officials with the Red Cross believe the structure has approximately a 50-year lifespan for their purposes. The sustainable design features, meanwhile, are expected to have less than a five-year payback period through annual energy savings of 30 to 35 percent, meaning big savings for the non-profit.

“It’s great to work with emersion because of their large number of LEED Accredited Professionals. They are very familiar with green projects and they have similar goals as us,” Pond concluded. “We feel that developing sustainable projects the right thing to do, and we want to get Cincinnati caught up-to-speed on the green building movement.”

9th annual Paint the Town to impact 59 homes in two neighborhoods

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After suffering a cancellation due to weather on Saturday, June 12th, more than 1,500 volunteers will spread across Avondale and Evanston to paint 59 houses as part of the 9th annual Paint the Town service event organized by Give Back Cincinnati. This year organizers expect approximately 7,500 man-hours to be donated during the single day of service activity.

The volunteers will work to improve the appearance and value of each home in the neighborhoods selected according to current needs. According to organizers, the increased value and improved appearance then help to improve each individual community. Each home to be painted has been sponsored by a local business, and the services are provided at no cost to the home owners. In 2009, more than 1,200 volunteers participated in painting 42 houses. Since the event’s first year 212 homes have been painted throughout Cincinnati in Price Hill, Northside, East End, Madisonville, Hartwell/Carthage, College Hill, and Covington.

“Painting a home for a community member is a great way to improve their lives, and serve others. It is a simple way for groups to actively engage and enjoy serving,” stated Give Back Cincinnati leaders. “We envision a day when we will paint 100 homes in a day with over 3,000 volunteers.”

Registration will begin at 7:45am on the day of the event with painting beginning at the houses at 9:30am. Following the service activity, volunteers will be treated to a post-event celebration that will include food, drink and music from 3pm to 7pm. Volunteers will also be treated to breakfast during registration.

Those interested in participating can register online. Paint the Town will be meeting in the northeast corner of the Norwood Plaza parking lot (map). Parking is expected to be tight, so organizers are asking those participating to carpool, bike or take public transit (plan your trip) to the event.

Xavier University’s campus transforming for the 21st Century

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Xavier University is in the midst of a building boom. New buildings are rising that will continue the transformation the university’s main campus. Work has been ongoing for some time and most is expected to be complete for the next academic year.

At the corner of Ledgewood and Dana, there is a new 88,000 square-foot building being erected for the Williams College of Business. Xavier will take possession of the building from the construction crews this month. It will be ready for students by August, the beginning of the next academic year.

Nearby the 84,000 square-foot Conaton Learning Commons is rising, and is a multi-use facility uniquely suited to the modern student’s need of a flexible space packed with technology. It too will be ready when the students come this August.

Further down Ledgewood Avenue, which is sporting a new median and roundabout, a new 240,000 square-foot dormitory and dining complex is currently under construction as part of the Hoff Academic Quad. These buildings, which currently have two huge cranes towering above them, still require about a year before completion but will eventually house and feed hundreds of Xavier students.

Neighborhood Enhancement Program showing signs of staying power, Perkins Lounge to be shuttered

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Cincinnati’s nationally-acclaimed Neighborhood Enhancement Program (NEP) is having a lasting impact in Evanston where the program started two years. Today Cincinnati officials announced that Perkins Lounge, long known for a history of drug activity and for being an eyesore in the heart of Evanston, will be shut down as ordered by Judge Nadine Allen utilizing State of Ohio Nuisance Abatement Laws to investigate numerous complaints of illegal activity.

On September 2, 2008, Cincinnati’s NEP began a 90-day focus on Evanston that focused on quality of life issues including crime, blight and building code violations. Since that time the program has won awards from Neighborhoods USA as the 2008 National Program of the Year, the Ohio Conference of Community Development’s President Award, and the Community Development Corporations Association of Greater Cincinnati award for Most Outstanding Collaborative Effort among others.

Image of Perkins Lounge from Google Maps' Street View

Program officials say that one of the targets is to create a sustainable impact that lasts beyond the initial 90-day blitz. Perkins Lounge will officially be shut down this evening at 6pm thanks to a collaborative effort between the Cincinnati Police Department, the Attorney General’s office and the Evanston community. The closure brings with it much more than the elimination of a long-time neighborhood problem, but also an indication that the much touted NEP has staying power.

“This ongoing partnership with the State of Ohio’s Attorney General’s office and these successful results are a prime example of the sustainability of the NEP,” City Manager Milton Dohoney said in a press release. “This model for neighborhood revitalization continues to be an effective tool to improve the quality of life for our neighborhoods and businesses.”

Community leaders are encouraged by the Perkins Lounge (map) news and believe it is an important step in the process of reclaiming their neighborhood.

“The Evanston community is thrilled that this shameless criminal element has finally been removed from the Evanston Business District, and greatly admires the tireless efforts of the Cincinnati Police,” stated John Lewis, Safety Chair of the Evanston Community Council and Chair of the Evanston Citizens on Patrol. “Evanston continues to focus our efforts to redevelop and revitalize our business district to be a once again thriving neighborhood.”

Most recently the NEP rolled into Mt. Washington, and over the course of its existence, the program has visited Price Hill, Avondale, Westwood, College Hill and Clifton Heights/University Heights/Fairview Heights (CUF) in addition to both Mt. Washington and Evanston. In each case the program has reduced blight on average by 15% and recorded thousands of building inspections.