The West End - Re-imagining Physical Connections

THE WEST END RE-IMAGINING PHYSICAL CONNECTIONS Koff | Meng | Roebke | Tian | Zhang

TABLE OF CONTENTS VISION & GOALS…………………………………………………………………………….3 OPPORTUNIITIES & CONSTRAINTS………………………………………………… 4 EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS………………………………………………….. 5-11 Existing Cultural Assets 5 Zoning 6 Land Use for Findlay Street Corridor 7 Streets and Sidewalks 7 Circulation (Bus Infrastructure) 8 Circulation (Bicycle Infrastructure) 9 Circulation (Automobile Infrastructure) 9-10 Urban Fabric 11 Findlay Street Building Conditions Analysis 11 PLAN PROPOSALS…………………………………………………………………………. 12-35 Introduction 12 Complete Street Network 13-23 Goal & Vison 13 Circulation Infrastructure (Bus Infrastructure) 14 Circulation Infrastructure (Bicycle Infrastructure) 15 Streetscape Design 16-23 Transformation of Findlay Street 24-30 Goal & Vision 24 Findlay Street Corridor Plan 25 Visitor Center & Parking Garage 26 Art & Design Center 27 Public Spaces 28 Streetscaping 29 Zoning 30

PLAN PROPOSALS…………………………………………………………………………. 12-35 West End Heritage Trail 31-35 Case Studies 32 A Path to the Future 33-34 Place Marketing & Digital Interaction 35 PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION………………………………………………………. 36-41 West End Neighborhood Redevelopment 36 Association (WERNA) Phase 1 37-38 Phase 2 39-40 Phase 3 41

University of Cincinnati School of Planning | Plan-Making Workshop | Menelaos Triantifillou | November 24, 2015 Koff | Meng | Roebke | Tian | Zhang 2

VISION & GOALS VISION: The West End contains an abundance of historic and cultural assets. Our vision is to better utilize and showcase these assets by connecting them to those found in OTR and CBD while simultaneously revitalizing the West End community and creating a cohesive basin region.

GOALS: 1. Form a complete streets network on Ezzard Charles Drive, Central Parkway, Linn Street, Central Avenue, and Liberty Street. to make strong connections between the cultural assets of the area for pedestrians and bicyclists 2. Establish an art and design collaborative with studio and gallery space and artist lofts in the West End, to promote the visual enhancement of the neighborhood with public artwork and murals 3. Make strategic zoning changes to the manufacturing area along Central Parkway and Liberty Street to allow for commercial, multi-family residential and mixed uses and to encourage a gradual phasing out of industrial uses 4. Connect the West End to Findlay Market by creating public spaces and improving the streetscape, transforming Findlay St. into an attractive area for pedestrians and commercial activity 5. Establish a cultural trail which showcases the many historical and cultural assets of the West End, Over-theRhine and Downtown

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OPPORTUNITIES & CONSTRAINTS OPPORTUNITIES:

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The West End’s major thoroughfares (Central Pkwy, Liberty St, Ezzard Charles Dr, and Linn St) are all wide enough to be converted into “complete streets” with widened sidewalks, bike lanes, and streetscape improvements

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Liberty St. bisects not only the West End but the entire basin region, serving as a primary access point to the West End

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Ezzard Charles connects the West End to Union Terminal, Music Hall and Washington Park

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Central Ave. connects the West End to Downtown and The Banks

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Street grid is relatively compact and easily walkable

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Greenery already exists along Central Pkwy and Ezzard Charles Dr, which can easily be enhanced

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Existing vegetative land on Findlay St can be turned into a park

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Streetcar is only 1-2 blocks east of Central Pkwy, proving businesses and residents access to Downtown and Over-theRhine

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Large swath of light industrial land along Central Pkwy and Liberty St has many vacant parcels and is prime for redevelopment

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Existing art studio can serve as a catalyst for other art studios, galleries, and public art

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The West End contains many historical and cultural landmarks

CONSTRAINTS:

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Central Pkwy is 120 feet wide, carries a high traffic load, and has few intersections - serves as a physical barrier between the West End and Over-the-Rhine

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Sam Adams brewery and Taft High School each take up 4 city blocks along Central without any cross-through streets

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Liberty St connects to I-75 (via Western Ave), I-471 and I-71 (via Reading Rd), generating high traffic volume and frequent accidents

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Many projects, such as capping I-75 with a park at Ezzard Charles, will be very expensive and take many years to implement

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Many industrial buildings are currently being used, and owners may resist zoning changes/relocating

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Sam Adams brewing facility generates commercial trucking traffic, which is loud, unpleasant, and requires wide roadways

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Very little bicycle infrastructure currently exists in the neighborhood

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High crime throughout the neighborhood may deter pedestrians, new development

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EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS

EXISTING CULTURAL ASSETS As stated, the Cincinnati basin is home to many cultural and historical assets that are well celebrated in their own right. Unfortunately for the West End, most of these sites exist on the neighborhood’s periphery.

Therefore, in order to leverage these assets for economic gain, especially in the West End, we must bind them together with some of the lesser known, but equally as significant architectural and heritage sites within the West End’s interior. This has the potential to create and activate network of sites and stakeholders to act as a catalyst for further development.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS ZONING: A large swath of land between Central Pkwy and Linn St, north of Liberty Street is zoned for general manufacturing. This zoning arrangement is in stark contrast to the area east of Central Parkway, which is primarily zoned “Commercial Community Pedestrian.� Outside of this manufacturing cluster, most of the West End consists of multi-family residential with small pockets of pedestrian-oriented commercial zoning.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS LAND USE FOR FINDLAY STREET CORRIDOR: The current land use patterns show that the Findlay Street corridor between Central Parkway and Linn Street is largely made of light manufacturing usage and vacant land. Once again, this arrangement differs from land uses east of Central Parkway in OTR (dominated by mixed use, multi-family residential, and institutional land uses) and those west of Linn Street (mostly consisting of multi-family and single-family residential).

STREETS AND SIDEWALKS: Many of the arterial roadways in the West End feature wide traffic lanes, narrow sidewalks, and very little streetscaping elements. The only existing dedicated bike lane is on Central Parkway. Central Parkway is 120 feet wide, however, deterring pedestrians from crossing. Central Avenue is the only street that directly connects the West End to Downtown, but it turns into a one-way street from Ezzard Charles Dr. southward.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS CIRCULATION: Understanding the patterns of circulation through the West End neighborhood was crucial in determining our recommendations later in the planning process. In investigating how people travel in and out of the West End, we took particular attention to the infrastructure of buses, bicycles, and automobiles.

Bus Infrastructure: The West End’s bus infrastructure like much of Cincinnati is dominated by the services provided through the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA). We looked at the patterns of use not only in the West End, but in the greater basin region as a whole. The following chart represents basin relevant data gathered from SORTA Metro’s ridership counts averaged over the past five years for bus lines that exclusively serve the interior of the West End neighborhood. Graphing the top quartile of hot spots for ridership activity we found a particular amount of activity along the Linn and Findlay Street corridors.

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EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS CIRCULATION: Bicycle Infrastructure: Cincinnati is one of the fastest growing markets for bicycle commuting in the entire country. Therefore it behooves us as planners to consider the infrastructure available to cyclists in the basin region. We found in our conditions analysis that basin neighborhood interiors we lacking in lane infrastructure, while the West End and northern Over the Rhine (north of Liberty St) were particularly lacking in Cincy Redbike (Cincinnati’s bike share) stations.

Automobile Infrastructure: Thirdly, we investigated the basin’s auto traffic infrastructure by assessing traffic accident data and traffic volume data provided by Officer Paul Byers, Crime Analyst for the Cincinnati Police Department and the OKI Traffic Counts website, respectively. We determined as seen in the maps below, that the primary corridors to investigate for traffic calming intervention were Ezzard Charles Dr., Central Pkwy., Linn St., Central Ave., and Liberty St. This among other analysis has led us towards our recommendations of an integrated system of complete streets that will serving in connecting the West End to its adjacent Cincinnati basin neighborhoods.

(See Page 9 for Visual Analysis of Traffic Accident Frequency and Traffic Volume)

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EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT FREQUENCY

TRAFFIC VOLUME

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EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS URBAN FABRIC Next, we analyzed the urban tree canopy and the condition of the existing buildings along the Findlay Street Corridor. We found that there is a severe lack of street trees throughout the northern portion of the West End. There is, however, a significant cluster of trees on a vacant parcel of land along Findlay St. The buildings along Findlay St were analyzed and sorted into three categories (good, fair and bad), based upon the building’s current condition, architectural significance, and potential for rehabilitation. While many of the buildings have fallen into various states of disrepair, most appear structurally sound and offer historic architecture, suggesting high redevelopment potential.

FINDLAY STREET BUILDING CONDITION ANALYSIS

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PLAN PROPOSALS - INTRODUCTION In order to achieve the goals earlier stated in the plan, three large-scale projects have been recommended: Complete streets network | Findlay Street Transformation | Historic Heritage Trail

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK COMPLETE STREET NETWORK Goal: To form a complete streets network on Ezzard Charles Dr., Central Pkwy., Linn St., Central Ave., and Liberty St., strengthening the connections between the cultural assets of the area for pedestrians and bicyclists

Vision: One of the key factors that significantly confines the development opportunity, as well as limits the quality of life in the West End neighborhood, is the car-centric street network. Transforming the major streets into complete streets has been proved as an effective way to promote non-automobile use of the streets, and reduce the car-dependency when travelling in the basin area.

The complete street transformation also aligns with the transportation goals from city’s comprehensive plan Plan Cincinnati, which was adopted in 2012. Most of the transformation recommendations were meant to be low cost and “quick-win” approaches, such as repainting surface markings and slightly traffic signal improvements.

However, to further promote non-automobile use of the street for the further future, some long term approaches such as a streetcar extension have been recommended.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK CIRCULATION INFRASTRUCTURE: BUS INFRASTRUCTURE As stated, an important metric in determining the success of a complete street network in its ability to successfully calm traffic. Calming traffic among other advantages, reduces noise, pollution, and car-related injuries while encouraging a rise in passive travel. Our physical connections plan includes two bus and bicycle transportation infrastructure recommendations focused to work concurrently with our complete street design to further our traffic calming goals.

Upon analyzing the current bus infrastructure, we determined three strategic zones of inactivity not being served by the West End focused routes (the Betts-Longworth Historic District; the Dayton Street Historic Distoric; and almost the entire neighborhood of Over the Rhine). As an attempt to activate these regions with additional foot traffic, we have proposed the addition of a circulating bus route serving SORTA/METRO’s newly created Uptown Transit District; the West-End corridors of Linn Street, Dayton Street, and Clark Street; and the Over-the-Rhine corridor of Race Street.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK CIRCULATION INFRASTRUCTURE: BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE Upon analyzing the current bicycle infrastructure in the Basin neighborhoods, as described above we have two primary recommendations. First, the addition of four more red bike stations to serve the West End (Union Terminal, Linn Street & Findlay Street, Findlay Street & Central Parkway, and Central Avenue & Clark Street). Second, the creation of dedicated bike lanes for the corridors of Linn Street, Findlay Street, Central Avenue, Liberty Street, and Ezzard Charles Drive.

These “quick win” implementations are strategically assigned to make the most of (1) the new recommended bus route, (2) the creation of a complete street network as described in further detail below, (3) the transformation of the Findlay Street corridor into an arts way as described in further detail below, and (4) the continue physical connections between the three primary basin neighborhoods.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK STREETSCAPE DESIGN: Ezzard Charles Drive: Ezzard Charles Drive connects the Union Terminal Station with the Cincinnati Music Hall in Over-The-Rhine, across the West End. At the age of trains Ezzard Charles Drive was one of the major entry for Cincinnati. Today, although most of Americans would not use trains for everyday commuting, Ezzard Charles Drive still share a decent amount of traffic volume, which reflects in a 60-feet wide traffic lane, wide greenbelt, and extremely narrow sidewalk. Our approach to transform Ezzard Charles Drive into complete street would be slightly narrow the greenbelt and the parking lane to accommodate dedicated bike lanes and wider sidewalk, and install curb extensions in intersections to make crossing the street easy. In the long-term plan, we recommend that the streetcar extension be constructed on Ezzard Charles Drive to strengthen the public transit network and further reduce the usage of automobile.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK STREETSCAPE DESIGN: Central Parkway: As one of the major arterials in the city, Central Parkway carries excessive amount of traffic, especially during rush hour.

The demand for traffic capacity results in wide traffic lanes, especially to the south across Liberty Street. And the lack of official on-street parking spaces makes people park on the traffic lanes, which causes more congestion. Another defect of lacking official parking spaces is that drivers are parking their car on the bike lanes regardless there are pillars to prevent they from doing so. Luckily, the sidewalks on Central Parkway are wide enough to accommodate multiple activities. Hence, we recommend to slightly narrow the greenbelt and move bike lanes on sidewalks. The space that previous being used by bikes can now be used for on street parking as well as bus stop. To make people crossing easy, we also recommend installing curb extensions at intersections.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK STREETSCAPE DESIGN: Corner of Central Parkway and Findlay Street: This aerial view of the south-east corner of Central Parkway and Findlay Street presents exactly how increased sidewalk area for bicyclists and extended sidewalks for pedestrians can calm traffic and thus build a safe space for continual economic development.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREETS NETWORK STREETSCAPE DESIGN: Linn Street: Linn Street serves as one of the major north-south arterials for the West End with moderate traffic volume, which makes its 70-feet wide traffic lane with medium somewhat excessive. The sidewalks with the greenbelt are relatively narrow but can still accommodate regular pedestrian use. Hence we propose to eliminate the medium on the traffic lane and slightly reduce the width of on street parking to accommodate bike lanes on both sides. We also recommend curb extensions at intersections to make crossing the street easier.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK STREETSCAPE DESIGN: Central Avenue: Central Avenue serves as a wonderful “B street� for Central Parkway to connect to downtown and even directly to the river banks, and has the potential to become an appealing option for bicyclists and pedestrians as few cars would like to use this street. There are more than needed on-street parking space on both side of the street. And to the south of Ezzard Charles Drive, Central Avenue become a southto-north one-way street. Hence we recommend to transform the one-way portion into two-way, and make the whole Central Avenue a complete street by removing the on-street parking on the east side of the street and adding bike lanes on both sides.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK

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PLAN PROPOSALS - COMPLETE STREET NETWORK STREETSCAPE DESIGN: Liberty Street: Liberty Street serves as a direct connection of I-75 and I-71. The “zip-by” traffic on the street makes it bisect not only the West End but also the entire basin region. The Over-The-Rhine Community Council has conducted a complete street study and the city’s transportation department has released some design concepts to gather public input. However, these are just for the portion east of Central Pkwy and are not extended to the portion in the West End. Therefore, our recommendation for Liberty St., especially for the portion in the West End, is to keep up with the pace of complete street transformation. We recommend to slightly reduce the width of on-street parking, traffic lanes, and the medium to accommodate bike lanes on both side. The medium will turn into left turn lane at intersections and curb extensions will be installed in favor of crossing pedestrians.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - TRANSFORMATION OF FINDLAY STREET GOAL & VISION Goal: To connect the West End to Findlay Market by creating public spaces and improving the streetscape, transforming Findlay Street into an attractive area for pedestrians and commercial activity Vision: A key component to the transformation of Findlay St. is attracting the artistic community. The West End is a prime area for artist studios and galleries because of the cheap rents, abundance of large industrial buildings, and the historical value of the neighborhood. In turn, the art works produced can be installed throughout the neighborhood to beautify the streetscape and make it more welcoming to visitors. The potential for Findlay Street to be developed into an art district is real - a large (12,000+ sq ft) artist studio/gallery called Solway already exists here.

Other desired amenities to complement an artist district were identified as: a pocket park, a public plaza/square, a visitor center, a parking garage, apartments and studios, and plenty of pedestrianfriendly mixed-use commercial/residential development. In addition to these amenities, a new streetscape was desired for Findlay St. to make the corridor visually appealing and to encourage pedestrian activity.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - TRANSFORMATION OF FINDLAY STREET

FINDLAY STREET CORRIDOR PLAN: The Findlay Street Corridor Plan contains all of the elements and amenities, identified above, that will help to better connect the West End to Over-theRhine and revitalize the neighborhood. Below is the concept map for the plan.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - TRANSFORMATION OF FINDLAY STREET VISITOR CENTER & PARKING GARAGE At the corner of Findlay St and Central Pkwy, the plan calls for the conversion of the existing vast gravel lots into a visitor center, public parking garage and light commercial space. The visitor center and commercial spaces will be located within the parking garage structure itself. This is no ordinary parking garage - the structure will be an architectural beacon, designed to catch the eye of passersby and welcome visitors to the area. The garage is planned along Central Pkwy because its high traffic volume will make it highly visible, and to keep as many cars off of Findlay Street as possible. The garage and visitor center will be connected to Findlay Market via a skywalk over Central Pkwy.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - TRANSFORMATION OF FINDLAY STREET ART & DESIGN CENTER To solidify the Findlay Street Corridor as an artistic neighborhood center, the plan envisions the establishment of an art/design center at the building sitting on the northeast corner of Findlay and John streets. This is a massive 5-story whose upper floors are occupied by residential lofts, while the bottom floors sit boarded up and vacant. The building will be transformed into the art hub of the city, offering (in cooperation with the University of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Art Academy) studios for artists to work, galleries to exhibit and sell their work, and more residential lofts to house artists.

There will be classroom and auditorium spaces as well, so that big name artists and art professors can teach and give lectures there. The already existing art studio next door, the Solway Gallery, can collaborate on the programming of the space too. The goal is to catalyze more art galleries and studios along the Findlay Street corridor.

Looking at developed Findlay Arts Corridor from the south-east corner of Findlay Street and Central Parkway Koff | Meng | Roebke | Tian | Zhang

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PLAN PROPOSALS - TRANSFORMATION OF FINDLAY STREET PUBLIC SPACES: The Findlay Street Corridor Plan calls for the creation of two public spaces: a park and a plaza/public square. The park consists of about 2 acres of already densely vegetated land along Findlay St., between John and Linn streets. The park will strongly be influenced by the nearby Findlay Art & Design Center, featuring murals, sculptures, and other forms of public art crafted by local artists. It will also feature a playground for children, and plenty of space for adults to gather and recreate. This park is unique because many of its edges border the backyards of residents, truly making it a neighborhood park.

The public plaza will take the place of a large empty plot of land at the southwest corner of Findlay and John Streets, almost across the street from the park. Once again, this space will be strongly influenced by the arts community. It too will feature many different types of local public art, plenty of gathering spaces with tables and chairs, and will host neighborhood events like art markets, live music, performances, festivals, etc. The park and the plaza will combine to form the activity center of the neighborhood.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - TRANSFORMATION OF FINDLAY STREET STREETSCAPING: The portion of Findlay St. between Linn St. and Central Avenue will have it’s asphalt paving removed, revealing the 19th century brick street that lay underneath. Resurfacing the brick street will have many benefits. Brick streets are a nod to Cincinnati’s historic character and will help beautify the corridor. They are easier and cheaper to maintain than asphalt. The bricks will also deter automobiles from speeding or driving on Findlay St. altogether, making it more welcoming for pedestrians. During weekdays, Findlay St. will operate as a normal two-way street, but on Saturdays and Sundays from 11am to 5pm the street will be closed to automobiles and will serve as a pedestrian highway of activity leading to Findlay Market. In addition to the street brick resurfacing, the corridor will be visually enhanced with better, more attractive lighting, wider sidewalks, benches, street trees and flower planters.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - TRANSFORMATION OF FINDLAY STREET ZONING: The plan calls for changes to how the West End neighborhood is zoned in order to make it more cohesive with the rest of the downtown basin region. The biggest change will affect the large portion of land between Linn St. and Central Pkwy currently zoned as general manufacturing. There is sufficient evidence that the manufacturing is a detriment to any revitalization in the West End. It serves as a physical barrier between the West End and Over-the-Rhine. Vacant plots of highly littered gravel and overgrown grasses are common, as are rusted-over machinery and vacant buildings. The manufacturing activity that does take place here is loud, polluting, and unsightly. All of this adds up to a no-man’s land for pedestrians.

The Findlay Street Corridor Plan calls for the zoning of this area to be changed from general manufacturing to the “urban mixed use district” created by the city. This zoning allows light industrial, multi-family residential, neighborhood commercial, and a variety of mixed uses. This would allow the manufacturing activity to continue in the short run, while also opening up the area to healthy mix of uses that are more conducive to residents and pedestrians. As the area revitalizes and property values rise, it is hoped that the existing manufacturers will choose to relocate and sell their land to developers.

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PLAN PROPOSALS - WEST END HERITAGE TRAIL GOAL & VISION Goal: Establish a cultural trail which showcases the many historical and cultural assets of the West End, Over-the-Rhine, and the Central Business District.

Vision: The West End possess a very rich history with a multi-cultural heritage. Unfortunately, due to a combination of post-industrial disinvestment and urban renewal, the neighborhood has not leveraged this heritage into economic gain. With the installation of a West End Heritage Trail we plan on rectifying this by celebrating the surviving historical architectural landmarks, and giving reverence those that no longer stand.

Photo credits clockwise from top left Betts House (soapboxmedia.com); Reverend Maurice McCrackin (greenfordable.com); West End Jewish Cemetery (Scott Beseler); Regal Theater (visualingual.wordpress.com); Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal (Cincinnati USA); Findlay Market (Cincinnati USA)

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PLAN PROPOSALS - WEST END HERITAGE TRAIL CASE STUDIES In designing a West End Heritage Trail we have researched the economic and cultural impact of domestic and international heritage trails including but not limited to:

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Boston, Massachusetts’ iconic Freedom Trail

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The Boston Museum of African American History’s Black Heritage Trail

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Baltimore, Maryland’s Urban Heritage Trail Program

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Green Bay, Wisconsin Packers’ Heritage Trail

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Cultural Heritage and Urban Development project in Saida, Lebanon

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Cincinnati’s upcoming Brewing Heritage Trail

We found urban heritage trails that utilize a complete pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure provide a three pronged economic benefit to their urban region: Building a sense of place, bringing in an economic stimulus from local and regional tourists, and improving the perceived safety of the neighborhood. These results of known heritage trails have led to neighborhood reinvestment from business and real estate developers.

In addition, we found that one of the unique aspects of urban heritage trails is their propensity attract tourists to economically depressed areas who would not normally traverse said neighborhoods in their day-to-day lives. The West End is particularly well suited for this, because of the architectural features that still exist within the neighborhood.

Photo credits clockwise from top left Black Heritage Trail in Beacon Hill (boston.com) ; Boston Freedom Trail (boston.com); Baltimore National Heritage Area (explorebaltimore.org); Packers Heritage Trail (packersheritagetrail.com); Brewing Heritage Trail (cincinnati.com)

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PLAN PROPOSALS - WEST END HERITAGE TRAIL A PATH TO THE FUTURE: You can’t move forward until you know where you’ve been. These words ring true for the residents of the West End, who have been waiting over 50 years for the supposed economic investments from urban renewal. Remembering our mistakes is just as important as celebrating our successes. With a West End Heritage Trail, we will celebrate the historical and cultural landmarks by walking the paths of the West End’s historical immigrant communities, and we will remember the rich tapestry of musical, religious, athletic, and other cultural landmarks lost to the development of the Mill Creek Expressway. During Phase One of development, we are proposing that the base of the West End Heritage Trail be housed within the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Cincinnati History Library & Archives.

At the Museum Center participants will walk through exhibits dedicated to remembering the urban fabric of the West End, from the vibrant life of the Kenyon-Barr District to the cheers and aromas in the air at Crosley Field. From there they will leave Union terminal and embark on the four mile journey through the over 200 year cultural history of the West End. Upon completion of the West End Physical Connection Plan’s Phase 2, this hub will move from Union Terminal to the northwest corner of Findlay St. and Central Parkway, and the newly completed West End Welcome Center and parking structure. The above is an example of a possible rendering that could be seen in the Kenyon Barr exhibit.

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PLAN PROPOSALS—WEST END HERITAGE TRAIL

A PATH TO THE FUTURE (CONTINUED): This is a rendering of a possible guided map around some of the more prominent cultural heritage sites along the proposed trail.

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PLAN PROPOSALS—WEST END HERITAGE TRAIL PLACE MARKETING & DIGITAL INTERACTION As part of the greater Cincinnati place marketing strategy, a West End Heritage Trail would present itself both on the physical and digital landscapes. We recommend the development of an integrated and interactive mobile app that can increase the city's global reach. In addition, through a Quick Response (QR) code and enhanced reality system, the heritage trail participant can let their feet lead them through a history they hold in their hands.

SITE/HERITAGE CATEGORY DISTRICT

WAYFINDING/DETAILED INFO

To enhance the physical landscape and usability of the Heritage Trail, it is proposed that a system of wayfinding, informational, and place-making signage be implemented. This signage will be designed and coordinated through the West End Neighborhood Redevelopment Association (see Project Implementation for more on WENRA) and stakeholders from the arts district created along the Findlay street corridor. The proposed signage as seen above will communicate district, site/heritage category , and wayfinding/ detailed information. The district level signage will show participants that they are in the West End Heritage Trail district. The wayfinding/detailed informational sign will show maps of the trail, and detailed explanations of sites for those not using the mobile application. Lastly, the Site/Heritage Category signs will show the participant what kind of cultural significance the nearby site has had on local heritage. In addition, these signs will also serve as decorative street lighting.

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION To implement such large-scale (and admittedly costly) changes, this plan calls for the creation of the West End Neighborhood Redevelopment Association (WENRA) to carry out these tasks. WENRA will operate as a non-profit community redevelopment corporation that shall work directly with the West End Community Council, the City of Cincinnati, and local residents and businesses to revitalize the neighborhood. It will be governed by a board of trustees made up of community stakeholders, similar to other non-profit urban redevelopment corporations. WENRA will hold a minimum of three community input meetings per project, or more as needed, to ensure resident involvement and input throughout the implementation of its projects.

WENRA will primarily be funded by Community Development Block Grants from the federal government, and via private philanthropic donations kicked off by a large fundraising campaign. These funds will then be used to leverage financing (loans) from banks for individual projects and initiatives.

Additional funding for specific projects will come from a variety of other sources, such as historic tax credits, TIGER grants, private partnership, etc. The projects in this plan have been broken down into three phases for implementation, as outlined below.

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION— PHASE 1

The first phase of implementation is designed to be completed within the first 2-5 years. The table below outlines each of these projects’ costs, funding sources, and potential partnerships. Projects included in Phase I include:

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Park on West Findlay Street

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Public plaza at Findlay and John Streets

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Findlay streetscape enhancements

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Heritage trail

The table outlines each of these projects’ costs, funding sources, and potential partnerships.

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION— PHASE 1 Phase I will only cost approximately $6.5 million dollars to implement, and the two most expensive projects are eligible for New Market Tax Credits from the federal government.

Park: The Park will be owned by the city with a long term lease to WENRA to program and maintain the park. This is similar to the a rrangement between the city and 3CDC for Washington Park. The park will be designed in partnership with Cincinnati Artworks to feature local artwork, sculptures, murals, etc.

Plaza: The plaza will be owned by the city with a long term lease to WENRA to operate and maintain the space, similar to how 3CDC op erates Fountain Square. WENRA can program the space with public events, festivals, live music, performances, art exhibitions, etc. WENRA will seek partnerships with Cincinnati’s corporate community in order to help fund the project.

Findlay Streetscaping: Resurfacing the Findlay Street bricks and widening sidewalks with streetscaping elements will be implemented by the city of Cincinnati's Department of Transportation and Engineering (DOTE) in coordination with WENRA. The street will be open to cars during the week, but will be restricted to pedestrians and bicyclists only on weekend mornings and afternoons.

Heritage Trail: WENRA will work in coordination with the Cincinnati Museum Center to establish, maintain and promote the historical heritage trail.

The trail will primarily consist of signage and plaques to demarcate historic places. The long-term goal of the trail is to create a mobile application featuring interactive images of the historic landscape that move with the user as they travel along the trail.

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION— PHASE 2

The second phase of implementation is designed to be completed over the course of 5-10 years.

Projects included in Phase II include:

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Parking Garage & Visitor Center

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Art/Design Studio Center

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Complete Street Network

The table outlines each of these projects’ costs, funding sources, and potential partnerships.

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION— PHASE 2 Phase II is considerably more expensive ($70 million) and will take a longer time to complete than Phase I. These high costs are offset by numerous grant and tax credit programs, collaborating with large institutions, and in the case of the garage, forming a real estate investment trust (REIT).

Complete Street Network: The complete street network will be completed incrementally over a 10-year period in coordination with DOTE. Liberty St, Linn St, Ezzard Charles Dr, Central Pkwy and Central Ave will be converted to complete streets when each roadway comes due for repaving in order to save costs. This will perhaps be the easiest piece of Phase II to implement because of the vast amount of federal grant programs available.

Garage and Visitor Center: The garage will be planned and executed by WENRA in coordination with Findlay Market (whose visitors will use the garage). The project will largely be financed, however, by establishing a real estate investment trust (REIT). Ownership of the garage will be split into shares bought by private equity investors to raise money for construction. Each investor will own a share of the garage and its profits. The garage will be a state-of-the-art facility with commercial spaces for lease and will house the West End Welcome Center, which will be leased by the REIT to the city of Cincinnati for WENRA to operate.

Art & Design Center: WENRA will collaborate with the University of Cincinnati, Art Academy of Cincinnati, and the city to rehab the existing histo ric building at the NE corner of Findlay and John Streets into art studios, galleries, and artist lofts. The University and Art Academy will have their own spaces for art and design students to create, collaborate, and exhibit their work. A wide array of funding sources are available, including federal and state historic tax credits, New Market tax credits, Jobs Ohio grants/loans, the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Art Academy.

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PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION— PHASE 3 The third and final phase is the construction of a streetcar connecting Union Terminal to Over-the-Rhine via Ezzard Charles Dr. Because of high cost ($80 million) and lengthy design process, this is seen as a long-term project goal to be completed within 10-20 years.

The table below outlines each of these projects’ costs, funding sources, and potential partnerships.

Ezzard Charles Streetcar: The Ezzard Charles streetcar will be facilitated by the city to connect the existing streetcar network to Union Terminal through the West End. Funding will come from TIGER, Urban Circulator, and other federal grants, OKI, and the establishment of a tax increment financing (TIF) district.

Photo credit: Cincinnati Streetcar (go-metro.com)

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