will the Cincinnati streetcar actually spur development?

This is what everyone connected to the streetcar have been saying is going to happen, and it's happening. Derek Bauman, the Southwest Ohio director for All Aboard Ohio keeps repeating the mantra, density + connectivity = vibrancy. The announcements of developers plans along the streetcar seem to be coming weekly now if not daily. So far they've been rehabs of existing building. There were twenty new businesses that opened along the streetcar line last year.
But now a new narrative is forming. First a group of six led by Steve Tino of Jaymar Cole Investments and REM Group are planning a major development on empty land at Elm and Liberty. Then comes news that Rick Greiwe, builder of luxury condos announced that for the next ten years his company, Greiwe Development, is going to focus on condo construction downtown. Mr. Greiwe says his success has come from building in walkable communities.
"You have the best of arts, entertainment, sports, parks, Findlay Market and the two best dining districts in the whole region with Fountain Square and the Gateway District," he said. "All of those assets will now be connected by streetcar."
The best quote was when he said he was asked who is going to ride the streetcar. "Hah!" Greiwe said. "Who's going to ride those red bikes?"
The last piece of the puzzle is the announcement from Bob Little, principal of Urban Equity Partners LLC that he wants to develop a grocery along the Central Parkway bike lane, just a block from the streetcar. You can't overestimate the impact this could have in the core.
I'm reminded of my recent trip out west to Portland and touring the Pearl District. In 2001 the Pearl was a rail yard. Today it is stuffed full of highrise condo and office towers. Its hard to even imagine that everything there is less than fifteen years old.
OTR and downtown are obviously full of buildings already and only need infill and will surely develop faster.
Here are a few pictures from the Pearl District showing exactly what connectivity will do. Hard to imagine this was all a rail yard fifteen years ago.
Portland Streetcar
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This little park is pretty cool, its not connected to the ocean but the level of the water ebbs and flows like a tidal pool.
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3 comments

7 comments:

  1. Careful Bob, you are starting to get a little wordy. So wait was Greiwe insulting the red bikes/streetcar? Missing a little context there. My only issue with Red Bike is that on a day that I actually needed them I went to 3 different kiosks and couldn't get the damn things to work. ..which is sort of a big deal. Other than that, I say we make some up to look like horses for the West End. Yeah buddy!

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    1. I know right? Thats a month's worth of writing for me.
      I took Greiwe's comment to mean if people will ride Red Bikes around in winter, why wouldn't they ride the streetcar?
      The Red Bike is starting to be a victim of its own success if the biggest complaint is all the bikes are in use.

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    2. oh the bikes weren't in use, actually the racks were quite full. The Kiosk wouldn't let one go for whatever reason. Connection issues I think it was. That interface is god awful. But yeah I walked to 3 different kiosks, and by then I was already where i needed to go.

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    3. Contact Red Bike. They're pretty responsive.

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  2. Every time I hear new positive news about the streetcar, my heart sings. I can't help but laugh when people are against mass transit- you know, because Chicago, DC, New York, and Dallas are all doing so poorly as metropolitan areas.. Portland is such a great example!

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  3. mmmyes, public transit is good but those other cities also had industry to go along with it. industry = needs = nearby workers = residencies = local economy = industry. Let's just all be aware that the city still needs a little help in that area

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    1. 15 years ago the Pearl District was an old railyard, then they built their streetcar and now its stuffed full of highrises.

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