Honorable City Planning Commission Cincinnati, Ohio
October 21, 2016
SUBJECT: A report and recommendation on the proposed sale of City-owned property at 518-520 E. 12th Street in Pendleton to 518 E. Twelfth Street, LLC. GENERAL INFORMATION: Location: 518-520 E. 12th Street Purchaser: 518 E. Twelfth St., LLC (Andrew Salzbrun) and The Model Group, Inc. Purchaser’s Address: 518 E. Twelfth St., LLC: 522 E. 12th Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 BACKGROUND: The City of Cincinnati owns the property at 518-520 E. 12th Street in Pendleton. The property is zoned RM-0.7 – Residential Multi-Family and is located within the Over-the-Rhine Historic District. The subject property, approximately .083 acres in size, is a pocket park currently used by the public. 518 E. Twelfth Street, LLC, owned by Andrew Salzbrun, resident of 522 East Twelfth Street, wishes to purchase the lot at fair market value of $34,250, which has been confirmed by the Real Estate Services Division of the City of Cincinnati’s Law Department. Salzbrun wishes to purchase the property from the City to develop a 9-space parking lot. The parking lot will be restricted and provide parking for neighbors who rent spaces. The Model Group, Inc. will act as the contractor for the parking lot development. The Model Group, Inc. is also currently developing 515 E. 12th Street, across the street from the subject property, into a multi-family residential development known as Broadway Square III. ANALYSIS: The sale of property at 518-520 E. 12th Street has the potential to enhance The Model Group, Inc.’s residential development project. The sale may benefit the community by stimulating other economic development in the area by alleviating parking pressures. The project has support from the Pendleton Neighborhood Council and the neighboring property owners. The City of Cincinnati has determined that the property is no longer needed for municipal purpose. The proposed sale was circulated to City departments with no objections. The final design of the parking lot will be subject to any applicable sections of the Cincinnati Zoning Code, including the regulations of Chapter 1423 Landscaping and Buffer Yards and Chapter 1425 Parking and Loading Regulations. CONSISTENCY WITH PLANS: The sale of property is consistent with the Over-the-Rhine Comprehensive Plan (2002). The plan includes a transportation goal to “increase off-street and on-street parking opportunities without impacting the urban fabric or historic character of the neighborhood” (page 9). By situating parking spaces on an infill site, the proposed parking lot is integrated within the fabric of the neighborhood. The parking lot will also support a residential development that is in line with one of the plan’s housing goals to “encourage and welcome new investment at all income levels of the housing market” (page 7). The sale is consistent with the Live Initiative Area of Plan Cincinnati (2012), which has a strategy to “offer housing options of varied sizes and types of residents” (page 164). The 9 proposed parking spaces will alleviate neighborhood parking pressures by providing parking for nearby residential units.
RECOMMENDATION: The staff of the Department of City Planning recommends that the City Planning Commission take the following action: APPROVE the sale of City-owned property at 518-520 E. 12th Street in Pendleton to 518 E. Twelfth St., LLC.
Respectfully Submitted,
Approved:
Rachel Culley, Intern Department of City Planning
Charles C. Graves III, Director Department of City Planning