OTRF proposes receivership program as revitalization tool

The Over-the-Rhine Foundation (OTRF) has proposed a receivership program partnership with the City of Cincinnati that would focus on the areas of northern Over-the-Rhine, West End, Mount Auburn and Clifton Heights, between the key redevelopment areas of 3CDC and Uptown Consortium.

Between 2001 and 2006, 50 buildings were razed due to extreme neglect, and, since 1930, 49.7 percent of the neighborhood's building stock has been demolished.

OTRF also suggests changes to the municipal and building codes and extending the jurisdiction of the Housing Court to facilitate receivership programs throughout the city.

"Building codes are about safety and that's a good thing, but they've become a little too paternalistic and unyielding in some instances," OTRF executive director Michael Morgan says.  "We also need to tighten and clarify historic preservation elements of the municipal code.  The code and the way that the Historic Conservation Board applies it is loose and inconsistent."

Following the process of receivership and stabilization, the building owner could pay for the work, or the property could be transferred to a third party for redevelopment.

Morgan is asking for an initial capitalization of $1.05 million for the two-year budget cycle, or enough to bring 20 buildings into compliance.

To Morgan, economic development and historic preservation work hand-in-hand.

"The relationship between historic preservation and economic development couldn't be any more clear to people who open their eyes to it, nor could OTR's potential role in re-inventing and revitalizing Cincinnati," he says.  "People visit Charleston, Savannah, New Orleans, St. Augustine, Boston and San Francisco because of the historic architecture and unique sense of place that makes them different.  What makes a city unique is what makes great cities great, and its why those places have tourism and its why people and businesses choose to locate there."

The proposal is in city council’s Finance Committee.

"People will buy a plane ticket to fly somewhere else, rent a motel room, and pay to see churches, historic neighborhoods, farmers markets, and great public buildings all day, but the value of Old St. Mary's, Memorial Hall, Findlay Market, and the largest, most intact German American immigrant neighborhood in America just won't sink through their skulls," Morgan says.

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Michael Morgan, executive director, Over-the-Rhine Foundation
Photography by Scott Beseler