Development News

A bright, smiling face—it's electric, really—greets diners at today's opening of Metropole on Walnut, the 21c Museum Hotel restaurant downtown.

The art installation, created by New York-based Sanford Biggers, serves as a cultural tease for the more than 8,000 square feet of exhibit space set to open with the 21c before the end of the year.

"We have eight site-specific commissions that are in various stages of being installed," says Molly Swyers, SVP of design and communications for 21c Museum Hotels. The Cincinnati location is the company's second site, with a flagship in Louisville and a third site slated to open next year in Bentonville, Arkansas.

The boutique hotel serves as a free museum open 24 hours a day, every day of the year, Swyers says. Though the iconic 21c penguin sculptures (red in Louisville, yellow in Cincinnati) will remain on-site, curated exhibits within the museum hotel will change regularly.  "On any given visit, you'll see something different or new."

Guests won't even have to enter the 21c to experience the art. Last week, workers began installing a sound installation by Austrian artist Werner Reiterer; it's the same one that used to hang outside 21c's Louisville restaurant, Proof on Main.

"There's a trigger for chandelier inside the hotel," Swyers says."It's been adjusted some and we had to do some engineering around constructing the sidewalk to support it."

The opening of the 21c isn't just a boon for art lovers and foodies. Swyers says the company hired 160 employees property-wide, including a mix of 21c-seasoned pros from Louisville and newcomers from Cincinnati. "You have a good mix of people who have been with 21c for some time and people who are just joining the team," she says.

Metropole chef Michael Paley is one of the Louisville transplants, as is the site's food and beverage manager.

"I'm excited just to open the doors and see people's reactions to the space," says Swyers, who has been working on the project for two years.

As she plans the full opening in the next few weeks, she notes that 21c's historic predecessor, the Metropole Hotel, opened its doors on New Year's Eve in 1912. "It's exciting to make this a public space again, and it's nice to be inviting the public back in."

Follow 21c and Metropole on Walnut on Facebook to find out more about the opening, enter a yellow-penguin-spotting contest and sign up for regular email updates.

By Elissa Yancey
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Looking for something "crafty" to learn, Chris Sutton took up jean-making nearly two years ago.

"I wanted to learn how to make something with my own hands. I'd been doing a lot of tech endeavors, and wanted to get my hands dirty," says Sutton, whose background is in live event production.

Once he began sewing jeans, Sutton found he had a real talent for it. He decided he wanted to make high-quality, American-made jeans, a rarity in today's clothing manufacturing sector. He sought out American sources for his material, thread, zippers and pocket materials. Yes, he found them all in the USA; and he created Noble Denim.

"I wanted to make my own rules around what could and couldn't be done. I wanted to make my jeans in America, and make them as sustainably as possible," he says.

Using his home in Over-the-Rhine as a sewing factory, Sutton began making and selling Noble Denim jeans. Twelve industrial sewing machines later, he moved the company into a space at Camp Washington.

Designer in style and quality, they're meant to have a longer shelf life than your average mass-produced jean. Materials come from suppliers in Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Colorado, Oregon and California.

They're made from raw selvage denim, made through a time-consuming process that makes the material thicker and more durable. This type of denim is supposed to better fit the wearer's body and resist shrinkage.

Sutton launched an online shop in November, where buyers can chose from two styles, Regular and Earnest Slim Straight. The jeans are pricey, $250 a pair, but all materials are 100 percent organic, reclaimed or responsibly produced. Currently Noble Denim sells jeans only for men; a women's line is planned for next fall.

Noble Denim is a young company, and Sutton still does most of the sewing. He does have interns who are learning the jean-making craft. Within the next year, he hopes to hire three or four employees, who'll make 3,000 pairs of jeans a year.

"I want to grow, but only as fast as I can stick to my philosophy," Sutton says. "So our mantra is grow slow, but do it well."

By Feoshia H. Davis
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After suffering from a serious accident that required the will of a determined athlete to overcome, Cydney Rabe of Over-the-Rhine resident opened Core, an exercise studio specializing in Pilates this September.

Three years ago, while walking across a street in Chicago, Rabe was hit by a car.

“[Doctors] told me, ‘You’ll never be able to lift your arm above your waist, you can’t ever lift anything more than five pounds, you’ll have no range in motion’,” Rabe says.  

But Rabe wasn’t ready to accept what to others seemed inevitable. After the accident, she used Pilates to completely rehabilitate her shoulder, which she claims made her stronger than before and gave her nearly full range of motion.

Following the accident, Rabe decided to move from Chicago back to Over-the-Rhine — where her family has lived for 12 years — to open Core.

“I’ve seen such a cool change happening in the neighborhood from when we first moved into it.” Rabe says. “It’s fun to be a part of it and add my own passion into the neighborhood.”

The studio uses Pilates equipment that puts the user in a standing position, challenging people’s body awareness in ways they aren’t used to.

Each equipment class has four or fewer people, so although people pay for a group class, they still get one-on-one attention from the instructor.

“When it’s only four people, it really allows for correction and to develop form, which are so important in a Pilates practice,” Rabe says. “It allows you to get the most out of the workout.”

Rabe also attributes small class sizes to keeping people more accountable for showing up and staying on their routines.

“You’re coming in and working out and seeing familiar faces, so you start developing relationships beyond just going to the gym,” Rabe says. “People are now looking for you in a class, like, ‘Oh, so-and-so is not here today.’ ”

Currently, Core offers classes in Pilates, TRX, Zumba and ballet barre, and will likely add yoga in the future.

“I wanted it to be a one-stop shop for people to come in, get their workout on and do a mixture of classes,” Rabe says.

Chermaya Woodson, who has been going to Core since it opened, says Rabe is the most passionate Pilates teacher she has worked with.

“[Rabe] makes it a point to not only ensure that I'm getting a good workout in — which I always do — but to ensure that I am actually learning about the muscles I'm working and what they do for me on a daily basis.”

Core’s operational hours vary — depending on classes — and it is located at 1423 Vine St., in the Gateway District across the street from Kroger.

Check out Core’s Facebook page here.

By Kyle Stone

Would you like a loaf of bread and a bag of farm-fresh veggies to go along with that hammer? As they searched for walkable ways to sustain healthy diets after the closing of Keller’s IGA in 2011, Ludlow Avenue residents in Clifton discovered food in unlikely places.

The Ace Hardware store on Ludlow began stocking fresh produce — tomatoes, apples, oranges, etc. — in the summer following the closing of IGA. It also began stocking Shadeau breads, which have been selling well in recent months — more than 600 loaves in October alone, according to Bryan Valerius, general manager of Ace Hardware on Ludlow and former Keller’s manager.

Across the street, CVS shoppers noticed an expansion of canned food options in addition to a wider selection of beers, which allows community members to continue to live a car-free, if less “fresh” life. 

Valerius says that business has increased at Ace in recent months, but that's after the foot traffic decreased when IGA closed.

“The biggest thing I hear from people around here is they don’t like getting in their car and driving to the grocery,” Valerius says.

Ludlow Wines owner Mike Anagnostou agrees. “One of the appeals of Clifton is not having to own a car,” he says. “The day-to-day necessities are all in walkable distance.”

Not all kinds of business were impacted, though, Anagnostou says.

“The weekend entertainment crowd — the people who come to Esquire, Graeter’s, Olive’s, Dewey’s — hasn’t changed,” Anagnostou said. “It’s the weekday traffic [that has declined].”

While both he and Valerius think that IGA’s reopening will help rebuild businesses, they also share doubts about its ambitious January 2013 opening date.

“It’s a very bureaucratic process,” Anagnostou says. He remembers the construction issues that arose when he went through the process of opening his shop. “You get to a certain point where they say, ‘Now you need this, now you need this.’ I truly believe we’re going to get a grocery store. I also believe Mr. Goessling and his crew have been overly-optimistic as to when they’re going to open.”

Valerius estimates the store will require 13-16 weeks of work before it can open again. He thinks the construction time will help his business.

“I’m pulling for [IGA owner] Steve Goessling,” Anagnostou says. “I want him to open.”

Eli Mock, Ludlow native and University of Cincinnati student, used to shop at Keller’s IGA before it closed, and thinks the grocery store’s reopening will make his diet healthier.

“It’ll be easy to pop in and get food for dinner after classes,” Mock says. “It’ll add some diversity to what I eat. I won’t have to rely so much on fast food.”

Fans of Poco a Poco who were saddened by the restaurant’s recent closing may be comforted to learn that a new venture—Alfio’s Buon Cibo, which boasts veteran Cincy chefs and Italian-Argentine fusion—will soon occupy the vacated spot on Hyde Park Square.

Alfio’s is the product of 18 months of collaboration between owners Scott Lambert, Alfio Gulisano and Ken Arlinghaus. The trio aims for an affordable-yet-upscale dining experience to showcase the distinct culinary style that head chef Gulisano has been fine-tuning since growing up in an Italian section of Buenos Aires. 

With a résumé that includes stints at Bella Luna and VIEW Cucina, Gulisano brings his multi-ethnic expertise to his namesake endeavor, which he describes as, “probably 75 percent Italian and 25 percent Argentine.”

Alfio’s Buon Cibo, with a planned opening of Nov. 5, has a menu that features modern twists on classics: meat-and-cheese-stuffed empanadas, short-rib ravioli and traditional Argentine beef soup with potatoes, corn, tomatoes and onion.

A carefully selected yet deliberately modest wine list rounds out Alfio’s offerings, with Argentine, Italian and North American bottles ranging from $26-42. The owners plan to introduce a variety of events and promotions in the coming weeks, including half-price wine and specialty martini nights.

“There are a lot of places that are more for special occasions, like birthdays and promotions,” says Lambert. “But we want people to be able to come in here just because it’s a Tuesday or a Thursday. It’s affordable, and it’ll be a relaxed, fun atmosphere.”

By Hannah Purnell
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The Christian Moerlein Lager House hosts its first Holiday Beer and Brewerania Extravaganza Saturday, Nov. 10, from noon to 4 p.m. During the event, beer lovers can get started on their holiday shopping, tour the brewery and sample 10 holiday beers.
 
Christian Moerlein started the Moerlein Brewing Company in 1853 in Over-the-Rhine. He was a Bavarian immigrant and blacksmith by trade who loved brewing beer. When Moerlein’s beer was exhibited, it always took home top honors.
 
After his death in 1897, the brewery continued to operate until Prohibition forced it to close; it reopened in 1981. 

Moerlein’s beer has only four ingredients: malted barley, hops, water and yeast, and is the first beer to certifiably pass the Reinheitsgebot Bavarian Purity Law of 1516. In 2004, Greg Hardman, its current president and CEO, bought Moerlein Brewing Company. He continues to follow the same quality and taste guidelines set by Moerlein.
 
The Holiday Beer and Brewerania Extravaganza isn’t all beer tasting. It’s a bit like an antique show, too. There will be free informational appraisals of beer memorabilia; book signings by Mike Morgan and Dan Tolzmann; and souvenirs, such as steins designed by Rookwood Pottery, beer memorabilia, a winter lineup of Moerlein Lager House merchandise, the "Brewopoly" beer game, Cincinnati retro beer shirts and local artist Jim Effler’s Bockfest and Moerlein beer label posters. 

Plus, Moerlein Lager House’s beer tokens that feature the inaugural Moerlein Lager House design and beer barons Moerlein and John Hauck will be for sale for the true beer enthusiast.

Rookwood Pottery designed a series of four steins for Moerlein Lager House. In 2008, Rookwood Pottery created the Christian Moerlein Barbarossa Stein. In 2007, Moerlein commissioned a stein for its Northern Liberty Beer and one for its OTR beer.

New for 2012 is the first edition Christian Moerlein Lager House Stein. The stein pays tribute to Christian Moerlein's first  beer brewing venture on Elm Street, and to the new Moerlein Lager House along the river. The two locations are connected by a cobblestone road that represents the return of Cincinnati's brewing heritage. All of the steins are currently available on Rookwood Pottery's website.
 
“Customers can walk around the facility and check out the artwork, and brewers will be on hand to discuss the brewing process or talk about beer,” says Hardman.
 
And of course, there will be beer. The event will feature 10 holiday beers from guest brewers: Wittekerke Winter Wit, Founder’s Harvest, Petrus Winter #9, Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere Harvest, Sam Smith Winter Welcome, Two Brothers Heavy Handed, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Ommegang Art of Darkness, Hudepohl Classic Porter and a batch of Moerlein Lager Houses Christkindl Winter Warmer Ale. Richard Dube, Moerlein Lager House’s resident brewmaster, brewed the Christkindl ale especially for the event, says Hardman.
 
Admission is free; four-ounce samples of the seasonal beers will be $6 for a flight of four.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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In its third year, the Heights Music Festival reaches deeper into the local music scene to highlight lesser known, hard-working local bands.

This fall's version, which takes place this weekend (Nov. 9-10) includes new names and innovative collaborations with artistically focused Cincinnati non-profits. 

"We actively sought out bands that have not had this kind of opportunity," says festival found Rome Ntukogu, of Far-I-Rome Productions. For example, Oui Si Yes, a seven-piece band that rarely plays out because of complicated performance schedules, will be part of the Heights this weekend.

What started as a once-a-year, one-night/four-venue event evolved into a biannual celebration of bands across a wide range of genres. This fall, one all-ages venue (Rohs Street Cafe) will feature collaborations with student artists from the Music Resource Center in Evanston and Elementz of Over-the-Rhine.

"I'm really excited about the Music Resource Center showcase we are doing," Ntukogu says. "They are going to create a small lineup of five of their students to perform." 

Some will be MCs, some poets. All will perform at Rohs Friday. 

Elementz offers its own showcase at Rohs Saturday.

"We like to bridge the gap between scenes," Ntukogu says. "We're trying our best to reach out into different pockets in Cincinnati."

His goal is to expose young musicians to each other, allow them to become fans of one another, and together, build a stronger and more connected music and arts community in Cincinnati.

The fall Heights Festival features just four venues, down from previous festivals' higher club count. Ntukogu explains it's part of his plan for "surprises" for the spring 2013 festival. "We want to expand and add a few venues outside of the Clifton Heights business districts," he says. "I would like to double our venues by next spring."

By Elissa Yancey
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The undeveloped property at 6381 Center Hill Avenue in College Hill will soon become apartments for senior citizens and people with disabilities. The final plans for the development were approved Friday by the City Planning Commission.
 
The Salvation Army owns the Center Hill property, which will soon become 96 apartments available to residents 60 years of age and older who meet specific income requirements. There will be 95 one-bedroom apartments and one two-bedroom apartment for the resident manager. Plans also include a kitchen, dining room and recreation areas for residents.
 
“Dwellings for senior citizens are in high demand,” says Felix Bere, senior city planner for the City of Cincinnati. “These apartments will also cater to a segment of the population that needs a place to live.”
 
Construction on the property is expected to start in February 2013; completion is slated for the second quarter of 2014.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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On Nov. 9 and 10, the Public Interest Design Institute will offer a two-day course in public interest design at the University of Cincinnati. Attendees of the conference will receive SEED® certification and learn ways to get involved with public interest design projects.
 
The course will feature speakers who will talk about specific public interest design projects and funding for those projects. Bryan Bell, founder of Design Corps and the Public Interest Design Institute, will be certifying attendees in SEED, or Social Economic Environmental Design. SEED helps guide, evaluate and measure the social, economic and environmental impact of design projects.
 
Public interest design enhances the existing design practice by putting design skills to use in the community. Many public interest design projects are for nonprofits and are funded through grants, foundations and collaborations with other organizations.
 
But public interest design isn’t just for designers or planners. The workshop is open to anyone, including students, interested in public interest design, specifically those in the development, government development, planning, urban design, landscape, interiors and industrial design fields.
 
“There’s an ever-growing recognition of both the need and opportunity for public interest design,” says Michael Zaretsky, associate professor in the School of Architecture and Interior Design at DAAP. “We know that in the past, design was really just for those that could afford it, but there are now so many examples of work that is for communities, and everyone benefits from it.”
 
In recent years, more and more large design firms are beginning to require that their employees donate a portion of their time to public interest design projects, some through organizations like theonepercent.org. The One Percent Project links nonprofits that need design projects with firms and individuals who want to donate one percent of their time to a project.
 
“It’s not just volunteering, but a chance to use our skills and knowledge to benefit a community,” says Zaretsky.
 
The speakers at the workshop include Maurice Cox, an urban designer and architecture professor at the University of Virginia; Ramsey Ford, co-founder and director of design for Design Impact; Emilie Taylor, design build manager at the Tulane City Center; and Zaretsky.
 
Zaretsky will be talking about a project he worked on in Tanzania with the Village Life Outreach Project. He serves as director of the Roche Health Center Design Committee, which, along with a nonprofit, helped build a health center in a rural Tanzanian village that has no power or running water. Zaretsky worked with students and engineering and architecture firms to complete the project.
 
There’s still time to sign up for the Public Interest Design Institute’s workshop. The cost for the course is $450; it’s $350 for AIA members and $250 for students.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Advertisers, marketers and PR representatives gathered at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza hotel for the fifth annual Digital Non Conference. This year’s two-day conference featured six keynote speakers and numerous breakout sessions that focused on different aspects of the digital world.
 
AAF Cincinnati founded the Digital Non Conference in 2007 to bring together employees of the more than 400 package design, branding, advertising and marketing firms in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. A few attendees were from firms in Cleveland and NYC, but most were local. 
 
Bing evangelist for Microsoft Jason Dailey’s keynote address on Tuesday focused on innovations in technology. Lesley Fair, senior attorney for the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, offered insights into legal rules for the digital age; David Payne, chief digital officer of the Gannett Co., talked about the importance of the "mobile first" mentality; and Dave Dorr, creative director and consultant of Epipheo Studios, shared lessons learned about getting your message across to consumers.
 
“Many of the things in today’s conference weren’t even imagined when the Digital Non Conference began in 2007,” says Lori Krafte, chair of the Digital Non Conference organizing committee.
 
It's true. Some of the technology featured in Dailey’s keynote won’t be made a reality for decades to come. The bare bones of the technology exist, but forward-thinkgin professionals know that it will take lots of testing before every household can have a refrigerator that provides recipes based on the ingredients inside.
 
The breakout sessions gave conference-goers the chance to learn about the digital world in social media, data measurement and related areas. Many sessions featured local entrepreneurs and digital gurus who spoke about their experience with new technology in Cincinnati.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Caitlin is also an Associate Editor for Barefoot Proximity

Two recent graduates of The Brandery shared how to pitch a startup idea to investors and potential employees at on of the Digital Non Conference’s breakout sessions last week. Hunter Hammonds and Freddie Pikovsky recently pitched their startup ideas at The Brandery’s Demo Day and are now in the process of procuring funds and building teams.

Hammonds is the CEO and co-founder of Impulcity, a city app that makes a night on the town a breeze. Users can buy tickets to shows and view the specials at bars all in one place. Originally from Louisville, Hammonds came to Cincinnati because of The Brandery.

While searching for employees, he realized Cincinnati has a lot of local talent—he hasn’t needed to hire anyone from outside Ohio yet because of the wealth of designers here.

Pikovsky, originally from Brooklyn, is the CEO and founder of Off Track Planet. His startup began as a travel blog three years ago and is now a travel site and mobile app geared toward people in their mid-20s and early 30s. Pikovsky was drawn to The Brandery like Hammonds was, and wanted to be part of the startup ecosystem.

“Right now is an amazing time to be part of The Brandery,” Pikovsky says.

Hammonds and Pikovsky know it’s important to sell their ideas, whether it’s to a potential investor or new hires. In both cases, they have to make sure the startup’s roadmap is clear and focused; otherwise, investors might not be interested and employees won’t know which way is up.

Off Track Planet recently launched its beta version, and in three months, Pikovsky and his team hope to have the full release out. Impulcity will be launching soon and focusing solely on Cincinnati to start with, but Hammonds’ goal is to have it be an app for those living outside of the Tri-State area too.

By Caitlin Koenig
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Caitlin is an Associate Editor for Barefoot Proximity

In yet another sign of investment and confidence in Over-the-Rhine, U.S. Bank is moving closer to the heart of the neighborhood in January. Its new location at 1116 Main Street will be its only full-service bank branch in OTR.
 
Currently, U.S. Bank has two locations downtown, but they’re not very accessible for OTR customers. The branch on Procter & Gamble Plaza is hard to get to and parking is scarce; the one on Court isn’t visible from the road. Main Street is much more accessible for customers, whether they’re walking or driving, says John Fickle, senior VP and regional manger for U.S. Bank.
 
The staff of the Main Street location will be familiar to those who bank in OTR because they will move from the old locations. The new branch will provide customers with much more than teller services.
 
“We’ll have the opportunity to help customers with all of their banking needs and have the ‘know your customer’ conversation,” says Fickle. Customers will be able to discuss mortgages, life insurance and loans with U.S. Bank’s bankers.
 
The bank's investment extends to the renovated historic building into which it will move and set up its 3,000-square-foot office. The new location provides the access U.S. Bank has wanted for years, says Fickle, in a building that fits both bank and customer needs.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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The weekend after Thanksgiving heralds the start of the Christmas season, as Fountain Square becomes the set for Macy’s Light Up the Square and Downtown Dazzle, but this year, a new addition to the festivities adds a distinctively German twist. Cincideutsch, Cincinnati’s newest German society, will host a Christkindlmarkt on the Square, Nov. 23-25.
 
A Christkindlmarkt is a traditional German market that pops up around Christmas time. In Germany, the markets start at the beginning of Advent and last until Christmas. Cincideutsch's Christkindlmarkt is Cincinnati's first open-air Christmas market, and although it's only one weekend, the group hopes that in the future, the market will last longer, says Olaf Scheil, Cincideutsch’s president and one of its co-founders.
 
Scheil came to Cincinnati 14 years ago for work, and after the company he moved for closed, he decided to stay. Many of the members of Cincideutsch are German natives who have moved to Cincinnati, or are Americans who have lived in Germany, like Linda McAlister, co-founder, VP and treasurer of Cincideutsch. Peter Rother, the third co-founder, is VP and secretary.
 
Plans have been in the works for a Christkindlmarkt since Cincideutsch was founded in 2011. “It was something we all missed about Germany, so we decided to start one here,” McAlister says.  
 
Cincideutsch’s Christkindlmarkt will have feature 10 booths selling things that are both German in nature and local. The Germania Society of Cincinnati, Munich Sister City Association of Greater Cincinnati, Rookwood Pottery, Servatii Pastry Shop and Deli, Ultimate Almonds and Mecklenburg Gardens will have booths selling Christmas ornaments and crafts, beer and Glühwein (German mulled wine). 

Visitors can also buy special edition mugs and tote bags designed by Saint Ursula Academy’s design program. The students from Saint Ursula’s also designed the Christkindlmarkt posters.
 
Scheil didn’t want Cincideutsch’s Christkindlmarkt to be pop-up tents in the middle of the street, so the booths resemble traditional German-style houses. The market will look like a little German village lit up for Christmas, he says.
 
Cincideutsch is still seeking sponsors for the market; it has one official sponsor so far, Christian Moerlein Brewery.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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As many areas of Cincinnati are being rejuvenated, including OTR and Washington Park, the City of Cincinnati approved a comprehensive approach to focus on development in the city as a whole, not just targeted neighborhoods. 

Last Friday, the City Planning Commission approved and adopted Plan Cincinnati, which was designed with input from residents. The Plan is an opportunity to strengthen what people love about the city, what works and what needs more attention, says Katherine Keough-Jurs, senior city planner and project manager.
 
The idea is to re-urbanize suburbanized Cincinnati; in a sense, to return to the strengths of the city's beginnings. Cincinnati was established just after the American Revolution in 1788 and grew into an industrial center in the 19^th century. Many of those industries no longer exist in the city, which is part of why Cincinnati has become more suburbanized in the past 50 years. One of the long-term goals of the Plan is to bring new industries to Cincinnati.
 
With a new approach to revitalization, Cincinnati is blazing the trail for other cities. With a focus on building on existing strengths rather than tearing down structures and creating new ones, the Plan aims to capitalize on the city's “good bones” and good infrastructure.
 
Cinicinnatians had a huge role in developing the Plan. The first public meeting for the Plan was held in September 2009, when residents offered their insights into “what makes a great city?" and "what would make Cincinnati a great city?” A steering committee of 40 people representing businesses, nonprofits, community groups, local institutions, residents and City Council helped develop the Plan.

The Plan also got support from a grant from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which the City received in 2010. The grant allotted $2.4 million over three years to support the Land Development Code, which combines and simplifies Cincinnati's codes, reviews the development process, implements Form-based Codes and considers more creative uses for land. The grant allowed the city to start implementing some of the ideas voiced in public meetings.
 
Visionaries included youth, too. City staff worked with community centers and Cincinnati Public Schools to develop an art project for children. They were given clay pots and asked to paint their fears for the city on the inside and their dreams for the city on the outside. The children saw the big issue was quality of life, just like the adults did.
 
“It was an interesting way to get the kids involved and thinking about the future,” Keough-Jurs says.
 
The Plan aims to strengthen neighborhood centers—the neighborhoods’ business districts. It maps out areas that people need to get to on a daily basis and found that most are within about a half-mile of the business districts. But in some neighborhoods, residents can’t access their neighborhood centers. 

The accessibility of a neighborhood center is based on walkability—not just for pedestrians, but also about how structures address walking. For exampke, if a pedestrian can walk from one end of the neighborhood center to the other without breaking his or her pattern (the window shopping effect), the area is walkable; if he or she has been stopped by a parking lot or vacancies, it’s not walkable, Keough-Jurs says.
 
The neighborhood centers are classified in one of three ways in the Plan: maintain, evolve or transform. Some neighborhoods have goals to maintain levels of walkability, whereas others need to gradually change or evolve. Still others need to completely transform in order to strengthen their business districts.
 
“Cincinnati is at the heart of the region,” Keough-Jurs says. “If we strengthen Cincinnati, we strengthen a region.”

The next step for the Plan is to go before the Cincinnati City Council, specifically the Livable Communities Committee, which is chaired by Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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Last Friday, a motion to reallocate three pieces of city-owned property for public use was approved by the City Planning Commission. The properties are at the intersection of Vine Street and Erkenbrecher Avenue, near the main entrance to the Cincinnati Zoo.
 
The properties are to be used to create better access to the zoo’s new entrance for both cars and pedestrians by widening the road, says Felix Bere, senior city planner for the City of Cincinnati. A wider road will also improve parking around the zoo. Plans for the three properties have been in the works since spring 2011.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
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