Planners hope that Revive I-75 plan will help to transform Mill Creek corridor

The City of Cincinnati will present a draft revitalization plan for the neighborhoods within the Revive I-75 Neighborhood Study tonight at Cincinnati State.  The study has to-date hosted a variety of public meetings and a large charrette meant to gather input from community members and stakeholders.

The plan that will be presented tonight is approximately 95 percent complete, but still needs more refinement of the work that has been done.  The public will still be able to give their input in terms of policy or general design changes, but planners note that no major sweeping changes will be made at this point.

"We have heard a great deal from the public and learned what they like and dislike within the study areas," said Cincinnati City Planner Cameron Ross.  According to Ross, there have been about 120 to 150 people at each of the public meetings held at Cincinnati State thus far, and three dozen focus group meetings have been held with a variety of stakeholders.

Pittsburgh-based Urban Design Associates (UDA) has served as the lead consultant on this ever-growing project and will present their plan for those communities surrounding the Mitchell Avenue Interchange, I-74 Interchange, Hopple Street Interchange and the Queensgate/Central Business District.  Their presentation will be followed by an open house where members of the public can view the draft plan, maps and renderings.

"Urban Design Associates, with the input of residents and local government, community and business leaders, is creating a new vision for our city and specifically, neighborhoods in the study area," said Charles Graves, Director of the Department of City Planning and Buildings. "We are energized by UDA's initial recommendations and look forward to sharing their ideas with the public.  At the same time, we encourage feedback at the public meeting to ensure the final plan maximizes every opportunity for neighborhood revitalization and development."

The Revive I-75 revitalization plan is expected to be completed in May 2010 and will include action steps that will lay out what needs to happen over the next 3-5 years, 5-10 years, 10-20 years and 20-50 years in order to make sure that these ideas come to fruition.  City officials have already been working with a variety of agencies to ensure that implementation starts right away.

"It's in our interest to line this plan up with the already existing plans out there, and based on the positive relationship between the City, Municipal Sewer District, and the Ohio Department of Transportation, the efforts to implement these ideas into the I-75 rework are definitely being considered," explained Ross.

In fact, all of these agencies have been a part of the planning stages so nothing comes as a surprise later, and so that their existing plans can be incorporated in a way that compliments what citizens and stakeholders want to see happen.

Other projects have been considered as well including the Mill Creek Restoration and Greenway projects and the GO Cincinnati report that identified the Mill Creek corridor studied here as one ripe for the development of green industries.

"The plan is trying to re-envision the area starting at these interchanges by using them as a catalyst for positive redevelopment," said Ross.  "Everything from economic, to infrastructure, to environmental improvements have been considered and we're hoping to see positive energy spread out from these gateways to the rest of the communities which might include anything from transit oriented development to better wayfinding and signage."

Once complete, planners hope the Revive I-75 revitalization plan will go before Cincinnati City Council for adoption sometime in early September 2010.  Prior to that the plan must first go through the city's Planning Commission and City Council's Livable Communities Committee chaired by Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 13 from 6pm to 8pm at Cincinnati State (map) in the Advanced Technology & Learning Center Auditorium which is located on the second floor entrance.  Free parking will be available in the Central Parkway Garage.

Writer: Randy A. Simes
Photography by Scott Beseler
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